


Memores Acti Prudentes Futuri

by TurnaboutWriter



Category: 999: Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors - Fandom, Zero Escape (Video Games), Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - Fandom, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Multi, Post-Canon, because I suck at coming up with cat puns, bless kittify, post ztd, resolving the unanswered basically, some Post Q-End 2 speculation as well, some motives are just too complex to put into words, two Phis are better than one you know, yes I gave Gab and Carlos's cat character tags fight me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-11 17:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 47,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7901212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurnaboutWriter/pseuds/TurnaboutWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of the final decision in the Decision Game, — in which the lives of the game's participants and 6 billion people, hang in the balance — the aftermath of that decision, and everything else. Picks up from where ZTD ended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is copyright © 2016 Turnabout Writer. All rights reserved.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carlos pulls the trigger, and Junpei officially asks Akane to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small warning: character death ahead. It's not exactly violent, or that major of a death, since ZTD does leave it open-ended if Carlos shoots or not, but I thought I should let you know, just in case.

"This is the decision game." Delta's calm, omniscient voice rings out clearly across the scorchingly hot wind that wafts through the sunny, Nevada desert.

The moment Carlos's hands catch the gun, the decision is made. He knows what Delta wants, and he understands the rest of these _complex motives_ — perhaps, that is why Delta threw the gun in Carlos's hand in the first place. Delta knows that neither Diana nor Sean will be able to do it.

His fingers curl around the butt of the weapon, and he raises it towards the man he called Zero during the Decision Game. His index finger inches towards the trigger, which elicits a slight twitch of the corner of Delta's lips.

"Carlos . . . ?" Akane's voice is hesitant. She grips onto Junpei's hand tightly, while he looks on, silent.

Eric crosses his arms over his chest. "You're going to do it, right? You're going to shoot the bastard?"

"Maybe it's not a good idea to shoot him, Carlos. He does have a lot of information about the terrorist."

"Mira . . . !" Eric exclaims, astonished and awed.

Delta chuckles darkly. "Whether or not Carlos kills me now, you will receive all of the knowledge you need to defeat this terrorist. Regardless, my mother simply must tap into the morphogenetic field, and all of the information will be at her fingertips."

Diana's eyes widen in terror. "M-Me? How will I know what to find?"

"You must seek the memories of another history."

"But how?" she questions softly, her voice trembling and lips quivering as she speaks. When Delta gives her no response, she is forced to turn to Carlos with a pleading look, the sadness and indecisiveness in her eyes making Carlos waiver from pulling the trigger.

But he takes a deep breath and steels his resolve. This is the right choice — hell, this is what Delta wants.

Even though he is fully expecting it, the recoil of the gunshot still takes him by surprise. He grunts as he feels himself pushed by the force of the bullet, but feels guilty because he feels remorse over what he has just done. Carlos's whole life has been about saving the lives of others, and yet, today, he has taken a life — strangely enough, though, it feels like he has saved a life, rather than taken it.

"Carlos!" Akane cries out.

Diana's eyes widen as she sees her son collapse to the ground. "Delta!" she gasps, ready to spring, but Sigma, with his face set into a grim expression, grabs onto her arm and pulls her back.

He crushes her gently to his chest as she begins to sob. He rubs at her back gently, and looks up from his lover to look at Carlos with piercing eyes. "It needed to be done."

"I-I'm sorry, Diana." Carlos doesn't apologize to Sigma, because — judging by the calculating look that takes his face — he seems to have figured it out. Then, he repeats the words he said to Junpei in the timeline where they both sacrificed their lives to have Akane wear the gas mask. "I haven't been a firefighter for ten years to make the wrong choice now. Diana, you may not believe me, but it was what — "

"It was what he wanted."

All is silent for the few moments that Carlos and Diana turn to look at Phi, along with everyone else, many pairs of eyes burning with questions.

"Yes." Sigma nods and relaxes his hold on Diana, who begins to untangle herself from their embraces. "He wanted to SHIFT."

"He . . . w-wanted to SHIFT?"

"Yeah, he wanted to jump to another timeline," Carlos drawls in his subtly southern accent.

"Of course!" Akane realizes, letting go of Junpei's arm. "Mira and Eric showed us that for a non-SHIFTer to be able to successfully SHIFT, there are two conditions that must be met for a non-shifter to SHIFT: first, one must be subjected to a life-threatening situation, and second, must be surrounded by SHIFTers so that morphogenetic resonance will allow the non-SHIFTer to SHIFT."

"And Zero had met those two conditions the moment he threw the gun into Carlos's hands."

"How did Zero know for sure that Carlos would shoot him without being Mind Hacked?" Eric turns to Carlos with accusatory eyes. "And how did you know that he wanted to SHIFT?"

"I . . . just knew."

While he and the others begin to discuss, Phi finds a key of a vehicle in Gab's container, and quietly slips it into her pocket. Then, she asks Carlos if he thinks the old bastard ( _with no offense intended to her parents)_ will come back somehow.

He can't say for sure that Delta was successful, nor can he tell to where the old man jumped, but he definitely is certain that he will return.

.

"Well," Junpei begins, catching the fingers of Akane's left — yes, _left_ (he double-checked this time) — hand with his own, "now that we're out of here . . ." He raises their hands up, and uses his free hand to pull out the diamond ring out of his jeans pocket. "I made a promise, and now it's time to fulfill it."

Diana lets out an, "Aaw," and the others look happy, as well — even Phi cracks a satisfied smile.

He initially planned to kneel, but now, it doesn't feel right to do so. Instead, he takes a deep breath and continues speaking. "Akane, you've put your life on the line, lived through so many histories, fought so hard to save the world, to find a timeline where there would be peace, where there would be me — where we could live together happily. And I — um, well, I can't say that I've done as much as you have," — he sheepishly shrugs — "but, even though we've always been bound by the morphogenetic field, I've spent the past, difficult year searching for you, chasing you."

"Junpei," Akane whispers softly, as tears form in her eyes.

"But now, Akane, we've done it; you're here with me and we can save the world. And now that I've found you, I don't ever want to let you go." He smacks his lips nervously. _Be a man, Junpei._ "You've always dreamed of wearing a ring on your left finger since elementary school, and now, I have the ring to put on your finger and officially make that dream a reality. Marry me, Kanny."

Akane nods with a teary smile. "Yes," she cries. She giggles as she weeps. "Yes."

The sound of applause, congratulations, and cheers fill the air.

Junpei slides the ring onto her finger and embraces her tightly, swaying their bodies as they hug. They both laugh. "I know it might be a little late to declare this since we're engaged and all, but I love you, Kanny," he whispers against her forehead.

She looks up at him, as she feels his thumb brush away her tears. "Oh, Jumpy, you've always known this, but I love you, too. I've always loved you."

"Jumpy?" an amused Phi comments.

Sigma barks a laugh. "You never declared your love for each other, and yet you, Tenmyouji, still proposed?"

"Hmph." Junpei looks up from Akane to scowl at him. "Yeah, so what? Our love has always run strong through our deep connection with each other in the morphogenetic field." He's bullshitting a bit, but more or less, the morphic fieldset is crucial to their love story.

"You know, guys, they've never kissed, either," Carlos adds teasingly. "I remember that from the timeline that Junpei first proposed."

"Are you joking?!" Sigma cries in disbelief, at the same time Eric exclaims, "You guys haven't even fucking kissed?"

"Not in this timeline, at least," Akane sniffs.

Junpei is surprised to hear so and looks back down at his fiancée. "It will happen when it happens. But, um, we've kissed in other histories? Was this all during the Nonary Game?"

Akane smirks, but the blush stains her cheeks traitorously. "We've kissed and done more than that in other histories, Jumpy. Building Q and elsewhere." Her eyes shift downward and her sly grin becomes shy. Sean is left slightly confused, but the others either blush or whistle or let out some other form of teasing.

His eyes widen and blood rushes to redden his face, and to another part of his anatomy, as he recalls the bed from the second-class cabin in Building Q, and the old fantasies he has had of him and Akane in that bed. He loosens his grip on Akane so that she doesn't _feel_ in front of everyone how strong those fantasies are attacking his mind. "Oh, um, that's . . . good to know."

As everyone laughs, he takes advantage of their distraction. He bites his tongue and uses his free hand that isn't holding Akane's to pinch the side of his thigh, but nothing works. _God, go away, go away! Not now, boy!_ He quickly tries to think of images of the bloody killings he's come upon in his career, the shootings, _his grandmother_ . . .

"Tenmyouji, please, just kiss the girl already! Akane, kiss him! One of you, _please_! It's killing me!" Sigma pleads, but is bewildered himself as to why he feels exasperation over the fact that the couple have not shared their first kiss together yet.

 _Talk about pot calling the kettle black._ "Look who's talking," Junpei banters back, finally feeling his erection beginning to subside. "Klim, Phi's your and Diana's daughter and is standing right next to you, and yet you haven't even come close to kissing Diana in this timeline!"

Much to Sigma and Diana's chagrin, Junpei, Akane, and the others burst into laughter, even Phi. The embarrassed couple joins in, though, when an innocent Sean expresses his confusion.

Even though she's laughing, Akane can't help the flow of tears that stream down her cheeks. She's just so insanely happy that this is, in fact, the alpha timeline that she has been seeking for so long.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Phi discovers a way out of this desert, and they all determine their next destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter of my little story, and I'm glad you've made it here! Here I am with the second chapter! From now on, though, I'll try to space chapter updates a little farther. After carefully outlining this story, I've estimated the entire work to be about 12 chapters (but, since things do change easily, I won't officially mark it off). I've finished writing up to Chapter 4, but I have half of some of the further chapters written, so, hopefully, it won't take much time to complete this!

_Sigma was lied to at one point in his life: the highway to hell is not paved at all — it’s full of so, so many wretched potholes._

_Akane doesn’t have a driver’s license, let alone an international one, and Phi’s learner’s permit expired two years ago — and though she still offers to drive to the Desert Research Institute, where all participants of the Stimulated Mars Mission are to meet, Sigma insists taking the wheel (getting pulled over by the cops from novice driving, though the least of their worries now, will only set them back from their schedule), even though he hasn’t driven in 45 years. He urges both Akane, who is curled up in the backseat with a soft blanket, and Phi, sitting next to him in the passenger seat, to sleep, as the next few days will be restless._

_But it’s hard to even think about resting when the weight of the lives of six billion rest on their shoulders._

.

After she congratulates Junpei and Akane, and wanders away from the group, Phi circles the DCOM facility, her fingers playing with the key that was with Gab. _If the old bastard left a key, then he had to have left us a car_ , she deduces mentally. She just prays that it has enough room for all of them to comfortably sit in.

Sure enough, on the other side of DCOM, Delta has left them an RV. She quickly runs back to the group, who question her whereabouts for the past few minutes, when she reaches them. 

“Hey, what are we all standing around here for?” Phi complains, hands on her hips. “This pale skin of mine doesn’t do good in the sun without any sunscreen, and, no offense, but I’m sure the same can be said for some of you guys. Come on, let’s get the fuck out of here before we’re sucked into some other life-or-death game!" But they’re all confused by her words.

“How, Phi? We just checked the facility and there’s no way to get in! We won’t be able to contact the DCOM staff until they realize something is wrong and just come and get us!”

Phi sighs sadly. “I don’t think they’re coming back for us, Tenmyouji . . . Zero has already left us a way back to civilization.” She holds up the key to the RV. Some stay silent while others gasp.

“Then what are we waiting for?!" Eric shouts. "Let’s get the fuck outta here!” 

They all agree. Akane gives DCOM one lasting look, and the others follow her example; they do so in parting or relief to be out of here. 

But Phi’s already running.

“I’m driving!” she breathlessly calls out, her short legs sprinting towards the vehicle, as her hand clenches around the key.

Sigma begins to chase after her, which prompts the others to run, too. Carlos quickly scoops up Gab and follows behind the others as Sigma begins to call out her name. “Wait! Goddammit, Phi!” he exclaims. “Fuck, Akane — someone, stop her!”

“Hey, slow down, guys!” 

“Come on, Eric, hurry!” Sean begins running quickly on his robotic legs, speeding ahead of the others, but still lags behind Phi.

“Sean, stop her!” Akane shouts, as she runs, hand-in-hand with her confused fiancé. 

“Hey,” Mira calls out breathlessly, “what’s the big issue if Phi drives?!” Her voice is accusatory, her chest heaving as she hurries to follow Phi. “You’ve got a thing against letting a girl take over control, Sigma? You like your women submissive?!”

Carlos, with Gab in his arms as he dashes with the rest of them, belts out a laugh at Mira’s comment from behind Sigma. “Oh, man!" 

"You're referring . . . to Diana, right?” a panting Eric asks Mira.

“H-Hey!” Diana protests.

“Oh, yeah, you still have to explain how you and Diana got hitched and had those monsters that you call your kids, _Klim_!” Junpei pants as he tries to catch up to Phi. “Dammit, Phi and Sean can run fast!”

If Sigma weren’t already red-faced from running after his daughter, the color of his face would resemble a tomato’s. “N-N-No, wait! That’s not what I mean at all!” He ignores Carlos and Tenmyouji’s jabs at his relationship with Diana. He begins to slow down his pace, along with the others, upon seeing the RV a few meters away.

Phi is in front of the vehicle, smirking and teasing Sean — who is struggling to jump and grab the key — by stretching up high on her toes with the key in her hands, which she dangles tauntingly above his helmet head.

“Hey! Come on, Phi! If my helmet weren’t on, I’d be able to get it so easily — don’t make me take it off!” Sean threatens.

Sigma sighs in resignation, but gives a slight smile while watching their interaction, his walk now almost at a standstill. “Phi has never learned how to properly drive. Furthermore, her learner’s permit expired a couple of years ago, so she’d be illegally driving.”

“Who cares about illegally driving when you’re alive and not playing a life-or-death, arithmetical-grounded game?!” Junpei cheers excitedly, suddenly high on the feeling of freedom. He stops walking and uses the hand that holds Akane's to twirl her around. “We’re finally free! No more of those wretched Nonary or Decision Games!”

Over Akane’s giggles and Junpei’s laughter, Diana sneaks up from behind Sigma and grasps his hand gently. “Hey, at least you’ll get the experience of teaching your daughter how to drive,” she chimes, her clear blue eyes sparkling in mirth. “That’ll be interesting to watch, considering how you and Phi bicker so much.” She laughs, playfully nudging Sigma’s arm.

“So, I guess that means old Sigma’s lame, dad sense of humor is actually viable, now,” Sigma hears Phi acknowledges, and turns his gaze toward her to see her lips twitching amusingly, as she leans against the RV and crosses her arms. “Let’s see how great you are at teaching me how to drive, old man.”

Sigma smirks back, but then his smile falls. “Where are we setting our destination to? Are we dropping everyone back to their respective homes?”

Everyone falls silent. Junpei and Akane stop laughing, Carlos looks up from playing with Gab, Mira and Eric cease their hushed whispers, and Sean and Diana turn to stare at Sigma. No one looks happy at the idea of separating at all.

Finally, Carlos breaks the silence. He grins as he answers, “Well, if it’s possible, I need Phi to make a quick stop in Kingman, Arizona.”

“Why there?” Phi asks.

Carlos smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, that’s where I’m from, and, um . . . I was hoping Akane could meet my sister, Maria, to help cure her Reverie Syndrome — if you don’t mind, of course, Akane.”

“No, of course I don’t. I’d love to help her!” She smiles back at him cheerfully.

“Hold on a moment, please,” Sigma speaks, crossing his arms over his chest. “Akane, how are you able to cure Reverie Syndrome? I was under the impression that a cure does not exist.”

“I’ve looked into this, Doctor Kli — er, Sigma,” she corrects, since he has told her more than once within the past few days to address him by his first name. “Reverie syndrome happens when an esper can’t handle the overload of information he or she is receiving from the morphogenetic field. It could also be a case where the esper is constantly in a state of SHIFTing and is trapped between different timelines. It wouldn’t be hard for Maria to be able to get a control of her esper abilities with the presence of another esper, though.” She looks up to Carlos, Sigma, Phi, and Diana, and then turns to her fiancée. “But the more espers, the better.”

Junpei and Diana nod in understanding.

“Right. We’ll help out,” Phi agrees.

Sigma is lost in thought until Mira deadpans, “Way to leave Eric, Sean, and I out, guys.”

“Hmm, I was actually thinking about that,” Sigma responds. “Perhaps, the morphogenetic resonance of the presence of espers allows you and Eric to take on and perhaps have control over esper abilities, instead of just letting you do as we do, Mira.”

“So, you’re saying that maybe you all . . . activated the SHIFTer in us?” Eric questions hesitantly.

Sigma nods. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Mira’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Wait. Doesn’t that imply that we all have, er, SHIFTing genes that are just dormant until awakened by the presence of another SHIFTer? . . . Or is that SHIFTing is just viral?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I think it may be more of the first opt — ”

“Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt, but you all will have to discuss this later,” Phi tells them. “Right now, we need to get out of here.” She looks at Carlos. “You said to make a quick _stop_ in your city. Does that mean you already have a destination planned for us?”

“Yeah . . . I’m thinking Grand Canyon National Park.”

Phi’s eyebrows shoot to her forehead. “The _Grand Canyon?_ Carlos, we just got out of a death game and saved the world from Radical-6 and you want to go see a damn rift in the middle of the earth?” Phi’s words are steady in her flat monotone voice, but her surprise is easily evident.

He stares at Phi steadily, his eyes determined. “Trust me. I think we need to go there next. This isn’t over, yet.”

"What?!" Eric exclaims. "And how the hell do you know that!?"

"I _just_ know! Please, just trust me!" Carlos insists.

Phi exhales in annoyance. "Of course, it isn't over. Alright. We’ll go there first.” _What is that old asshole up to now?_ _Why there?_

The others are confused as well, but comment excitedly — none of them have ever been to the National Park — but Akane bits her lip and wrings her fingers nervously.

“Would you mind, then, if I invite my brother? He’s really worried for me. He’s an esper, too.”

“It’s only fair. I get to bring my sister along, then you should bring your brother — and, hey, the more espers, the better for Maria, right?”

“And then?” asks Eric.

“We’ll see where the journey takes us,” Carlos responds, which causes Phi and Junpei to groan at the cheesiness of that statement.

“You mean where Phi takes us,” Akane teases. “If she doesn’t crash us or land us in a police station because of her driving.”

“Well, you never know, With Phi, every thing is a joyride,” Sigma teases.

And needless to say, it is going to be one hell of a ride.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the participants of the Decision Game pinpoint their location.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the warm response to the last two chapters! Here's Chapter 3! (And, please, if you are confused or if I'm unclear about something in the story, please, don't hesitate to let me know! I say this, not only because most conversations in this story happen between 9 people, but also since this is written without a beta reader, in which, basically, I word vomit all over a MS Word document, proofread it once or twice and then post it without a second opinion - and that means, I may give an information overload, or my words are jumbled up right under my nose, so, please, do let me know if you are confused, because I really won't mind. c:)

When Phi turns on the engine of RV, her eyes immediately flit to the small screen installed in the driver's console that lights up; it is a GPS that is programmed to show them a way out of this desert and towards Kingman.

“Holy shit,” Phi breathes, as she taps on the screen of the navigation device. She looks over her shoulder to where Sean and Diana sit, playing with Gab, who sits in Sean’s lap. “That’s why he was named that . . .”

Sigma’s eyebrows furrow and he leans towards Phi in the passenger seat. “What’s wrong, Phi?”

“Sigma . . . the GPS says that we’re in Area 2.”

“Area 2?!” Akane exclaims from the back. Her footsteps can be heard as she quickly runs up towards the front of the vehicle.

Sigma's eyes squint in confusion. “What? Area 2 of where?” he questions warily.

“The _actual_ U.S. Nevada Test Site.”

“What the _fuck_!?” Sigma screeches. “I assumed the DCOM staff referred to the area as that only since it was just a test site in the middle of the Nevada Desert!”

“So, that means we’re only around 20 miles away from Area 51!” Akane’s eyes gleam as she talks excitedly. Her loud voice garners the attention of the other passengers in the back, who begin to come forth and huddle around the three of them.

Phi nods at Akane. “I believe so.” She crosses her arms over her chest, tilts her head ever so slightly and smirks. “You wanna go extraterrestrial hunting with me, Akane?”

Akane sighs, her smile slightly fading and her eyes becoming flat as if she recalled a death of a loved one. “I would, Phi, if I hadn’t gone before with my brother last year. Our search was fruitless.” She turns her head to face her fiancée, who is now standing behind her along with the others, listening to the conversation. “Junpei, you know, that’s where Building Q is.”

Junpei's jaw drops, and his eyes widen in astonishment. “What?! Building Q is in Area 51!? How the fuck did Clover not get pulled over by the police with her driving or anything? And where were the UFO’s!?”

 _Clover?_   Phi and Sigma think in both confusion and recognition, their eyes meeting in silent conversation; but they both nod and don’t press the couple for any more information. _Later_ , they silently agree.

“I told you, Jumpy." — Phi snickers, which results in a glare from Junpei — "Aoi wanted to look around last year for kicks.” She didn’t have the heart to mention that she had only agreed because she had been caused her brother to be so restlessly busy, without any respite, with preparations for the Second Nonary Game. “We couldn’t find anything extraterrestrial.”

Phi’s lips scrunch into what seems to be a pout, and crosses her arms over her chest. “I still think there’s something there and was probably hidden from your eyes, Akane. I’d still like to visit, at least, drive around the — ”

“H-Hey, hey, wait a moment!” Sigma interrupts, as his eyes widen. “Are you really sure we’re in Area 2 of the actual Nevada National Security Site, Phi?”

“Come on, Sigma, don’t go all senile on me! Look at the screen — if your old eyes can’t read the tiny text, you can at least see on the map that we’re in the middle of the Mojave Desert.” Phi gestures a hand towards the GPS and continues speaking. “And doesn’t Gab’s name make sense, then? The Gabbs Tower is in Area 2! Zero II” — she sneered — “must have named him after the tower to hint at the location!”

“W-What? The Gabbs Tower?! But there was no tower in sight of DCOM!” Junpei’s voice is full of shock and confusion.

“Well, the Gabbs tower was built for the Gabbs test,” Akane begins to explain to her fiancé, and by extension, the others, “which was an underground nuclear reaction test; it was supposed to take place in 1993, but was stopped in 1992. The tower was kept above where the nuclear device would have been placed underground, so that they could go back to the test if needed. But in 2021, they were forced to cease the testing and bury most of the Gabbs Tower where the bomb was supposed to be placed.” She stops speaking, her eyes dropping down as she comes to a realization. “I think . . . I think that DCOM was built around the Gabbs tower.” She turns to face the window, staring intently at the white shape of the facility in the distance.

“So, you’re saying . . . that the circular structures of the facility surround the remaining height of the original tower?” Sean clarifies, his raspy voice hesitant.

Akane nods without looking away from the window. “Correct. Though, for this to be true, the building had to be altered in some way, because the DCOM layout is simply a hallway with circular rooms on the side.”

“But if that’s the case, then what you say about Gab’s namesake . . . it has to mean that DCOM was in on all of this, or Delta had to be the one to set up this whole Mars Mission Experiment and DCOM,” Diana points out slowly, her eyes meeting Sigma’s.

She tears away from his gaze, though, when Eric speaks. “Hey, you’re right! We were asked to come to the Desert Research Institute in Reno to board the shuttle bus to DCOM, so how the fuck did we end up in the middle of the Mojave Desert!?”

“Well, that shuttle ride did take an awfully long time . . . close to eight hours.” Mira's eyes narrow in suspicion as she talks.

“Think about it," Phi prompts. "We were all knocked out on that ride, after that celebratory meal they had us attend at the Institute.”

“Oh, you mean that commencement dinner for the success of the Mars Mission Experiment?” Diana clarifies.

“Yeah. Did it occur to any of you that we might have been drugged?”

“I wasn’t sure. I thought Mira and I might have been tired from our flight.”

“I had the feeling we might have been drugged, but I assumed it was for the purpose of resetting our sleep schedules for the conjunction. I actually told you that already, Phi,” Sigma reminds her, crossing his arms over his chest as a small, knowing smile appears on her face.

Phi rolls her eyes. “I wanted to hear everyone else’s opinions, but yes, I know you did, old geezer — you told me right before you decided to go searching for Radical-6 in DCOM, even though Akane specifically ordered us not to do anything until everyone else fell asleep.” Her smile twitches into a cocky smirk as she subconsciously mimics his pose, her arms crossing over her chest. “Right before, I should also add, the others thought you had lost it and were ready to put you in confinement.”

“Hmph.” He turns his face away. “I was only trying to destroy the virus,” he mutters petulantly.

“At least, the virus won’t be released now,” Akane murmurs to herself from behind Phi, but then clears her throat. “Alright, I think that’s enough talk for now. We should take our seats now and get going.”

Phi grins, suddenly eager to drive this badass vehicle, while Sigma’s face takes on a concentrated, but worried expression. “Let’s get this show on the road, then.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Diana struggles to remember the events that took place after Q-Ending 2, and Mira finds their paychecks for participating in the Mars Mission Stimulation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 999 week!

_“Mom, you must understand. The lives of 6 billion rest in your hands.”_

_._

The RV that Delta arranged for them is small, but luxurious and spacious enough, with everyone settling into their own place. Phi sits in the comfortable driver’s seat as she has been diligently trying to navigate the RV out of the desert with a surprisingly calm Sigma — though, that’s to be expected, since she is not bad of a driver, minus the first few minutes of her bumpy driving, where she swerved around and sped very fast (though that may have been to scare her father).

Behind them, occupying the two passenger seats are a worried Eric and reassuring Sean, who talk about why Mira was so insistent to sitting away from Eric. Eric occasionally kicks the seat in front of him as he tries to organize his emotions, much to poor Sigma’s discomfort — he may not be an old man with an old back anymore, but Eric’s kicks to his chair certainly reminds him of the feeling. Phi is grateful that Sean is the one who sits behind her.

Behind the fidgety Eric, there is a long sofa where Junpei and Akane rest together, while a softly snoring Carlos lies on the couch across from them, his head resting on the armrest behind Sean’s chair.

Diana and Mira sit across from each other at the small, square, wooden dining table that is made to sit across of the small kitchen area behind Junpei and Akane’s sofa.

When Phi drives over a rock, ignoring Sigma’s instructions to drive around it, however, Akane is woken up by the movement from the resulting jump of the vehicle. The RV’s steady rocking doesn’t not change much from driving over that particularly large piece of gravel, but it still causes Akane to arise from her slumber. She wrenches out of the sofa, and turns to look at her sleeping fiancée. She gives his serene, cherub face a soft smile, and then walks towards the table in the kitchen area.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Diana greets cheerfully, upon seeing the Japanese woman with sleepy eyes taking a seat next to her.

Akane blushes. “Hi. How long was I asleep for?”

“I’d say about an hour or so.”

Akane frowns, rubbing her eyes gently. “Really? It felt like I only slept for 15 minutes.” Her voice is thick with sleep and it makes Diana feel slightly tired, even though they have slept for who-knows how long.

“It always feels that way,” Mira agrees. 

Akane only nods. All is silent for a few minutes between the three women, the only sounds being heard in the RV hushed whispering between Eric and Sean, and the small snores of Carlos and Junpei. Phi and Sigma are quiet now, too — perhaps, they have finally found a definite way out with the GPS, and are no longer losing its signal.

And then, Mira speaks up.

“Hey. Can I ask you something, Diana?”

Diana looks up at her and nods slowly. “Sure.”

“Why did you feel sad when Carlos shot Delta?” It’s an interesting choice of words, Akane can’t help but notice; she would have phrased it differently — but, this is the psychopathic woman who indirectly caused her parents’ death, so the way she asks the question makes some sense.

Akane wants to feel complete resentment towards this woman sitting in front of her, but she can only feel bitterness, not hate. Is it because that without Mira, — even if it was at the price of losing her parents and going through the Nonary Games — Akane wouldn’t have found a soul mate in Junpei? Is it because she wouldn’t have been able to help save the world from Radical-6, and now help save it from that religious fanatic?

 _Aaaagh, this is so difficult_. She wishes she could be more like Aoi, in this case. He wouldn’t care about what her actions gave way to. He’d still hate her guts for causing them to become orphans.

Speaking of Aoi . . . .

 _We’re alive and safe. I love you, Aoi. Kingman, Arizona. Bring Clover. We have lots to do and so much to discuss._ Thoughts rush across the field, and she hopes he is receiving her transmissions, as she listens to Diana’s words. 

“I felt sad . . . I felt sad, because . . .” Diana is simply at a loss, and can’t point out a reason; it surprises her. She can’t remember or even fathom why she had been so upset to see Carlos shoot Delta.

Mira tilts her head in thought as she continues. “I understand that he was your son, but he also held you against your will at the bomb shelter, and, in another history, started a religious cult full of clones and killed 6 billion people with Radical-6. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t do it in this timeline. So, why were you so upset over his death?" 

 _6 billion . . . 6 billion._ His voice echoes through Diana’s mind, making her gasp.

Tears immediately spring to her eyes — in fear, in mourning for her son’s death . . . ? She doesn’t know. “Because . . . I remembered.” She swallows thickly. “In another history.”

“What did you remember, Diana?" 

“Do you recall anything about the terrorist?” Akane asks.

Her hands fly to her head, which she shakes, almost in pain. “I-I can’t remember why . . . I just know there was something that happened, something that made me sad to see him die, even though he did so much wrong.”

Mira opens her mouth to ask Diana more, but Akane shakes her head. _It’s not a good idea to press her any further, as of now_ , Mira realizes, and then nods at Akane. She excuses herself, leaving the table to head towards the small bathroom in the back of the RV.

“6 billion . . . ,” Diana whispers under her breath a few times, as she closes her eyes and begins to rub her temples, struggling to recall that timeline.

“Hey,” Akane calls out to Diana, and places her hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to stress yourself out about it. It’s okay if you don’t remember right now, Diana.”

“But — ”

“Hey, guys? Can you back come here for a second?”

Akane and Diana turn to see Mira crouched down on the floor near the bathroom. She has opened what appears to be a hatch in the floor.

“I think I just found our bags and our, um . . . paychecks.” She holds up a small, manila envelope, with its flimsy clasp opened to the two women.

Akane slowly peers into the open, yellow envelope, and sure enough, there is a thin checkbook inside. She takes the envelope from Mira (who then rummages through a red bag, — presumably hers — yanking out a cell phone and complains that there is no service) and then, pulls out the checkbook and counts the number of checks it has.

Akane nods to Mira as she flips through the pages of the booklet. “I think you’re right, Mira. These checks are written out to us, each worth $500,000.” She sees there is one more check after the ninth. “There are ten checks. Two are almost repeated, though. The first is for Sigma Klim, and the tenth is written out to Dr. Klim.”

Eric immediately runs to where the three women are, and Sean follows. “What? Dr. Klim?” He turns to call out to the man in question. “Hey, Sigma! Are you a doctor?!”

Akane nods, and though Eric doesn’t see her do so, she stays silent, her eyes flitting back and forth between Sean and the tenth check.

Sigma looks up from the GPS and whips his head toward Eric, stunned. “Y-Yeah, I am! Why do you ask!?” _I don’t recall telling them that detail at DCOM_.

“Hey, wait, that’s not fair!” Mira complains.

“What are you talking about?!”

“Why the _fuck_ did you get _two_ checks for $500,000?”

Phi releases her foot off the accelerator as she takes in Eric’s words and fleetingly looks at Sigma. “Did they find checks with the money we were promised back there?” she asks suspiciously.

Sigma looks surprised, too, until he realizes Phi is slowing down and urges her to speed up a little more. “I-I don’t know why!” he then yells back to Eric, but seems slightly uneasy. He knows it isn’t a case of parent bias or anything of that sort, but can’t pinpoint another specific reason why he would be given two checks. 

“You can go check it out if you want to. I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you know how to turn on the windshield wiper, Phi?”

She scowls irritably at him. “No, I don’t . . . but we’re _in the middle of the fucking desert_ , Sigma. We don’t need to turn them on.”

He rolls his eyes and sighs. “Normally, it wouldn’t be like this, but since it’s probably a new model, this RV’s console is similar to the layout you’d find inside a regular car.” It’s almost like Delta foresaw Phi behind the wheel, and made everything easier for her. “Now, you know how there’s a turn signal switch that you move up or down, for right and left? On the opposite side, there’s another switch for the windshield wiper, and it works the same way.” He then goes on to quickly — because he hears the sound of voices rising in the back — explain how to control the speed of the wipers, and how to activate the wiper fluid. He finally describes how to clean the windshield with wiper fluid in conjunction with the wipers, which would be in the case of a possible dust storm.

“And that, Phi, is why you may need to turn on the windshield wiper _in the middle of the fucking desert_.”

“Let me see that check, Akane!”

“N-No, Eric! It’s Sigma’s. We should wait for him to come and look at it first.”

Phi looks sheepish and mutters a reluctant, “Thanks,” to Sigma, and then whispers, “You should head to the back before Eric pulls a shotgun out of his ass and threatens to kill you, again.”

Sigma tries to hold in his laughter, only managing to contain in a small snort. “You’re horrible, Phi.”

Phi shrugs unashamedly. “I try. And, Sigma,” she adds, “don’t let anyone steal my money. We may be passing by Vegas soon, but I’m still too young to legally gamble. So, I’m saving up for next year when I turn 21 to gamble it all away in a grand casino . . . and don’t think you can claim my money because you’re my dad, alright?”

Sigma lets out a chuckle as he arises from his seat and starts to walk to the back. “I won’t, Phi.”

Akane looks up from the checkbook in her hands when she hears the others suddenly quieting from their complaining and Sigma’s familiarly heavy footsteps approaching.

“Sigma . . . ” Diana’s voice is hesitant as she grasps her beloved’s fingers, but her face relaxes once Sigma squeezes her hand with his own.

“What’s going on, Akane?” Sigma’s face takes on a look of confusion, but Akane can see the restlessness in his eyes. “Does the second check have anything written in the Memo area that could tell us why I get two payments?”

Akane’s hand stretches toward him, her fingers grasped around the checkbook. “You should see it for yourself.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the others try to figure out why Sigma has been given a second check.

Before the Second Nonary Game and, by extension, the fall of Cradle Pharmaceuticals, CEO Gentarou Hongou was trying strike a deal with a small, independent research firm that developed ABT — Hongou’s motive behind doing so was to fully gain control of the firm so that he could ultimately monopolize ABT. It was his misfortune, however, that one of the creators is a SOIS agent who also was a participant of his Nonary Project 10 years ago, along with her sister; she had no regret in refusing him, not only because he was affiliated with Free the Soul, but because she discovered that he made the mistake to hold the woman he knew as Lotus at gunpoint a year later during the Second Nonary Game — Nona Kashiwabara would never forgive Hongou for whatever he put not only her and her twin sister through, but also their mother.

Crash Keys, catching wind of this information, immediately got in contact with this small research company, which was surprisingly easy, since the members were consisted of Nona and two other students who based the firm on her graduate research. Though Nona was elated to meet with and help Aoi Kurashiki, Co-founder and CEO of Crash Keys, after 8 years, she felt nothing but spite toward the reason they met in the first place, and the people behind it, the heads of Cradle Pharmaceutical. Aoi, upon seeing her passionate hatred, gave her an offer she could not refuse: help take those four men down through the Second Nonary Game.

Though Nona could keep her involvement with Crash Keys a secret to her mother and, now, SOIS, she begged Akane and Aoi to allow her to tell Ennea — who, soon after, became the IT girl for Akane and Aoi’s small, but wealthy company.

The Kashiwabara siblings were the reason Akane and Aoi were able to kidnap Lotus — the one who probably would have been the hardest one to track down from young Akane’s memory of her resonance with Junpei, as they only knew her as Lotus, the technology-savvy dancer — but Ennea’s job has been to be the hacker and computer brains behind all of Crash Keys’ virtual operations, while Nona’s job would be to provide ABT as a particularly valuable asset for when the time comes (though, at the time, Akane only kept in the mind the timeline where Sigma lost his arms and eye, and went on to develop the AB Project 45 years into the future).

So when Sigma’s questioning, steel gray eyes look up from the check to meet Akane’s warm purplish-gray ones, she gives him a nod in confirmation. But suddenly, her face turns shamefaced as her cheeks flame a delicate pink. “I, um, didn’t mean to be nosy, but I was worried when I saw your name appear a second time.”

Sigma looks up from the check to give her a reassuring smile. “It’s really alright, Akane.” She really needed to stop being so uptight with him and Phi. Yes, they had come into the past as Akane’s employees of sorts, and acting always under her command, but now there is no more need for this formality — at least, not until they start their new mission of stopping the religious fanatic. “At least, we now know why I was given two checks.”

“H-Huh?! It’s written on the check? Tell us why!”

“Or else we’ll have to make you split it with us, since it’s not fair at all.”

“It’s nothing bad, right, Sigma?” Sean pries softly from next to him.

He shakes his head. “No. And, actually, it would be unfair if we split the check.” He loosens his grip on Diana’s hand and kneels down so that he is almost face to face with the boy. And then a thought occurs to him. “Hey, Sean, would you mind showing me your arm?”

“Um, sure?” Sean holds out his arm, slightly bewildered.

“Hey! What are the fuck are you doing?”

“Stop avoiding the question, Sigma. What’s going on with that other check?”

“Guys,” Diana quietly protests.

Sigma sighs in exasperation. “Hold on a moment, please. This is important!” he insists, and then turns back to Sean. “Please let me know if I am hurting you,” he requests, as he probes the soft, white skin a few times, trying to feel the robot boy’s bone structure. It is definitely firm, but Sigma can’t come to a decision until he can make sure his thinking is right after assembling the proper machinery — _ugh_ , he wishes he could somehow bring his entire laboratory from Rhizome-9, since it would make this all so much easier. He rubs his chin in thought as he comes to a conclusion. “I recall in the Decision Game that you bled ABT instead of blood, but it’s hard to determine if you have cybernetic arms, like I had originally thought.”

“What’s . . . ABT?”

Akane answers immediately, “Artificial Biological Tissue. It is an artificial skin that is very realistic to human skin. It functions almost exactly like it, too — you have the sensation of touch, and everything. And when you bleed, you bleed white liquid, which is ABT.”

“Oh!” Diana exclaims in recognition. “I heard whispers here and there about ABT in the hospital, before I came to DCOM, but it was all very clandestine and hushed. It’s relatively new, but its recent development can help in the creation of prosthetic limbs.”

“But,” Sigma adds, “it can also be worn by robots so that they can be given a more . . . human appearance.” He grins widely at Sean who looks up at him hopefully. “Hmm, we would need to design the cybernetic framework for your head, and figure out how to essentially retain your internal hardware that allows you to receive radio signals from the satellite, and ultimately replace the functions of your spherical helmet. We’d also have to see if you want to keep the cable ports to connect to the Quantum Computer Dome, and determine how to keep and maintain them.” The more Sigma deluges into his plans for Sean, the more he realizes that the expenses would be large. “We’d then work on integrating facial structure into the ABT for your face and order synthetic or real hair for hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, and it would all be your choice of — ”

“You’d really be able to do all of that, Sigma?” Sean’s raspy voice is full of awe.

“Yes, of course,” he assures, and then turns to the young woman in the sweater. “Akane?”

She smiles back. “I’ll call Aoi once we have service and inform him to ask Nona to arrange for the ABT and other materials.”

Sean is elated to hear this. “T-Thank you . . . thank you!” he cries out, his arms flying to encircle Sigma’s waist, and momentarily turns towards his helmet towards the woman in the sweater dress. "And thank you, Akane!"

"You're very welcome, Sean." Akane beams.

Sigma, on the other hand, nods wordlessly. He can only imagine the despair and disappointment the poor, presumably-amnesic robot child must have felt upon discovering that there was no head under his strange spherical helmet, and that he was not human at all.

“Thank you so much.” Sean’s voice almost sounds like a sob, and it compels Sigma to place a hand on his shoulder and embrace him back tightly.

If Delta is the son Sigma wishes he never had, then Sean is the son he wishes he could have. _It’s upsetting enough as it is that Luna and Kyle can’t be here with me, but . . . maybe Sean could . . ._ His thoughts trail off as he realizes that Mira and Eric would probably want him to stay with them. The only way, perhaps, for Sean to stay with Sigma for a long time is to prolong the replacement of Sean’s helmet and the creation of his ABT head.

But if Sigma did this, it would be unfair to Sean — he would be robbed of both a choice of staying with Eric and Mira, and a chance to have his new head installed on his body earlier.

 _What I have is enough for now_ , Sigma thinks to himself, as he feels Diana’s soft hand cover his own on Sean’s shoulder, vowing to help Sean with anything and everything he needs. 

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't normally like to put in images in my stories, but using text to write out and format the check wasn't exactly working out, so I resorted to uploading a picture of a fake check I made through a fake check generator. Anyway, did anyone catch any significance of the Check, Account, and Routing Numbers on the check? Two are obvious, but the third you might have to think a little on. ;) Be sure to share them if you do figure any of them out!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they journey to Kingman, Arizona - and, on the way, discuss Dr. Sigma Klim, try to decipher Delta's actions, and place a decision in Sean's hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this chapter tomorrow, but since it's the 9th day of 999 week, I just had to post it today! (Also, the new Ace Attorney game was released today, so my weekend will most likely be spent trying to beat that as quickly as possible, along with analyzing and writing about Aristophanes's Speech from Plato's Symposium, because my Philosophy course just likes to fry my brain.)

_Even though the three of them are standing a floor above where the woman stands, Phi can recognize that quirky, but beautiful, caged bluebird pendant anywhere. The chain of her necklace is definitely shorter than the one she recalls, but the pendant is definitely the same._

_As the kind, familiar-looking redhead gently laughs at one of Carlos’s jokes, Phi realizes that beside her, Sigma’s body has gone completely rigid. Her face immediately whips to his. “Is that . . . the_ human _Luna? What the hell is she doing here?” she hisses._

 _Sigma doesn’t respond to her, but simply murmurs to himself a word so softly that Phi cannot completely catch it — she thinks he has said whispered something about dying._

_“Luna? No, that is Diana,” Akane whispers back from the other side of Sigma. “She’s a participant who works as a nurse in a hospital in Portland. If Carlos is the group leader, then she is his assistant leader, of sorts; really, though, she is in charge of overseeing our heath conditions and is to tell Carlos to have the conjunction stopped if a participant is seriously ill or injured.”_

_Phi stays silent, unsurprised that Akane knows all of the information, but Sigma is aghast. “A-Akane . . . how do you know this?” he asks shakily, grasping onto the railing of the balcony they are on and gripping tightly, causing his knuckles to turn white._

_But Phi is bewildered by the actions of the supposed calm and collected Dr. Sigma Klim; why is he so shaken up by this all?_

_If Akane notices his strange behavior, as well, she doesn’t give any indication of it. “When our computer expert, Nona, hacked the Desert Research Institute’s records to add our names onto the participant list, Carlos’s and Diana’s profiles were up at the top.”_

_Akane doesn’t mention how suspiciously quick Nona was at breaking into their database — yes, Nona is a very talented hacker, but even she was surprised at how easy it was to do this. Since then, Akane has had a feeling that they are falling into a trap of sorts, but has asked Nona to keep mum about it all. It is unfair for her to keep this a secret from Sigma, Phi, and Aoi, but it is a small price to pay for saving the world from Radical-6._

_She suddenly turns to where Sigma holds on to the railing and stares at Diana, realizing he seems distressed by Diana. “Sigma, are you alright?” she asks concernedly, placing a hand on his shoulder. She racks her brain for anything related to Diana from the morphic transmissions she received from her older self on Thanksgiving of this year. She can’t remember anything, but realizes that Diana must be someone of significance. “She’s not related to the release of Radical-6, is she?”_

_“N-No, no,” he grunts back, as if he is in physical pain. “She’s just someone I know from my past. I’m just taken aback that’s she is here and am worried for her.”_

_Akane nods in understanding. She knows exactly how he feels. She still can’t even shake off the feelings of anxiety and worry since Junpei is here, where Radical-6 is supposed to be released, too . . . ._

_._

“Wait, so you’re saying that the tenth check was actually for Sean?” Junpei asks groggily, voice thick with sleep, as he shifts around in the wooden chair of the table. Next to him, Akane rubs his arm soothingly.

“Yes,” Phi replies, across from him, as she lightly scratches the back of Gab’s ear, as he rests in her lap. She sits next to Diana, who has leaned her head on Phi’s shoulder.

It’s a miracle they have sneaked out of the Nevada Test Site undetected . . . or maybe it’s just all part of an elaborate scheme that there were no officers at any checkpoints or barricade points. Whatever it may be, Phi has decided to stop driving for the day. Sigma, who is now behind the wheel and explaining to Carlos what transpired with the check (which resulted the shouting that had startled Carlos awake), and Carlos, who helps navigate his route on the highway with the GPS, can figure out how to get them to safety. Sean sits on the passenger seat behind Carlos, enraptured by them — or perhaps, just by Sigma. Phi suspects that after Sigma’s promise to help Sean, he feels indebt to him, and, therefore, is following him around.

All the while, Eric and Mira argue in hushed whispers on one of the couches — Mira’s voice is angry, and slightly confused, but Eric’s voice is soothing, coaxing, and calm, which seems rather strange to Phi. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? No matter the case, it is none of Phi’s business.

“So, why was it in Sigma’s name?”

“Well, it had to be for two reasons. The first is a little broader and only answers why the check _could not_ be in Sean’s name: he can’t go and cash a check by himself, can he?”

“Right.”

“And also, the check was for Dr. Klim — Sigma’s official title from the future we came from, where Radical-6 was released.”

“But Sigma’s a human doctor, right? How can he help Sean?”

“Actually, Sigma was — is — a doctor of engineering. In our timeline, he went on to create Luna, a GAULEM, er, a term he coined for his robots — ” 

“General-purpose AUtonomous-Control Labor Electronic Machine!” Sigma’s voice shouts loudly from the driver’s seat.

Phi rolls her eyes. “Yeah, that. Anyway, Luna is a GAULEM he created by constructing a cybernetic frame for her structure, and he made use of Artificial Biological Tissue, which is an artificial skin, to essentially give her an appearance less like a robot and more human. Now that I think about it, though, he must have based Luna off of Diana.”

“Me? Is that because he said I spent three years on the moon with him in that future?”

Phi is surprised to hear that, but she doesn’t let it show. “I didn’t know that, but if you were with him for three years after he failed to contain Radical-6, then it makes the most sense.”

“Luna . . . she is the one you thought Diana was when you first saw her at the Desert Research Institute,” Akane states.

Phi nods. “Yes.”

“Oh, so, Sigma can make Sean a head and everything!”

“Yes,” she repeats again, nodding once more. Then her reddish eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Tenmyouji, what made you think Sigma’s a doctor that treats people, instead of someone with a doctorate degree?” she asks curiously.

“Oh, well, um . . .” He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “He did help Diana give birth to you, since they both were the only ones left alive in the facility in that one timeline.”

Phi nods, though, internally, she is slightly annoyed to recall that small detail — she would never find it in herself to forgive that bastard all that he put Sigma and Diana through. “I see.”

“And, hey, Phi,” Junpei starts out hesitantly, “I have to ask. Why do you and Sigma call me by my last name?” 

The corners of Phi’s lips turn upward into a smirk. “I was waiting to see when you’d ask. We call you Tenmyouji because that’s how you introduced yourself to us in the AB Game, in the future that we are fro — ”

“The AB Game? What?!” Junpei grits his teeth, recalling. “Carlos and I had to play that to escape one of the rooms.”

“What?” Phi is taken aback. “But if your BP dropped to 0, you’d have nothing to lose.”

Junpei’s face turns grave. “That’s where you are wrong, Phi. If Carlos’ BP dropped to 0, he, Sigma, and Diana would die . . . and my BP dropping to 0 meant you and Akane would die with me.” 

“Are you fucking kidding me?! What was that old bastard trying to achieve?!” Phi growls angrily. 

“I’ll explain everything about our votes, but only if you explain everything that happened in your AB game and why I was there.”

Phi sighs, crossing her arms over her chest, but she nods. This is going to take a while . . . . 

.

After Phi recounts the events of the timeline she is from to Junpei, Akane, and Diana, Mira walks up to them, leaving a stoic Eric on the couch. “Why didn't Delta try to SHIFT before?" she asks immediately, with no greeting or prelude.

Akane raises an eyebrow. “Before?”

“In that timeline where the Force Quit box activated self-destruction of the bomb shelter and forced us to SHIFT to the timeline where we won the initial coin toss,” Mira explains.

 “Right.” Junpei nods. “He did Mind Hack Eric to shoot the gun at him, after all."

“Hmm, I think . . .” Diana looks thoughtful as she speaks. “It was because he had to explain to us the reasons why the whole Decision Game took place — mainly, to have us motivated to stop the terrorist attack.”

“Complex motives.” Junpei scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

Phi takes on a face of concentration. “Well, isn’t there a chance that Carlos was right and that the old bastard actually did SHIFT, or at least, try to, though?”

“And why would he not Mind Hack Carlos?” Mira adds.

“He could have SHIFTed for all we know,” Akane says thoughtfully, as she cracks the tension out of her knuckles. “And if Delta had Mind Hacked Carlos, he would have known for certain that he was going to die, and, perhaps, it would take away from the danger and fear. But not Mind Hacking Carlos left a fear of the unfamiliar and, thereby, increased feelings of trepidation, I’d bet; it added more to the feeling of danger and gave a higher chance for him, a non-SHIFTer, to SHIFT. Do you understand what I mean?” The four of them nod.

“It’s the fear of the unknown, then,” Phi states in clarification.

“Exactly.” Akane smiles back, pleased with the reception of her explanation.

Mira still doesn’t seem satisfied, though. “But, guys, we don’t even know if Carlos is right. Did Delta really SHIFT?” she points out, as she folds her arms over her chest.

“Well, think about it like this: why would he go through so much to ensure his existence, only to throw it all away in the end?" Akane points out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "He had to have SHIFTed.”

“Hey, guys!” Carlos and Sigma call out. “Look at the window! We’re passing by the Hoover Dam!” which marks the end of their discussion, as they all immediately press their noses to the windows and marvel at the dam.

The remainder of their journey to Kingman is peaceful and friendly and fully of laughs, and they even stop at In-and-Out Burger to eat, since Phi and Carlos are shocked that the others have never had such glorious fast-food cuisine, and that Sigma can’t remember its taste.

The adults bask in the glory of burgers, grilled cheeses (for a vegetarian Akane and a curious Mira), milkshakes, sodas, plain fries and animal fires, while Sean sits and watches them, raptured by the feeling of satiating hunger through food. They all chat quietly about the food.

It when Sean asks where he and Gab will go, however, that the arguments erupt.

Most of the fight is over Gab, really, (and in the end, it’s decided that Carlos will take care of Gab), but Sigma does remind Eric and Mira that Delta given Sean money in his name, so he can technically claim a right over the boy. Mira and Eric, however, insist that Sigma should fix Sean’s head onto his body, and then send him back to Nebraska, where the couple is from, but Sigma gives Sean the option to stay with him after that, and help him with his research. Together, they can learn more about Sean and develop a GAULEM — which would give way for Sigma being able to learn even more about GAULEMs, and get an idea on updates and improvements Sean can receive in the future. Eric strongly opposes the idea, insisting that since Sean was a part of Q-team, and that is where he belongs, but Mira sits silently for a moment before declaring that it should be Sean’s decision.

(Junpei and Mira are surprised they haven’t been asked to leave, but the place is so empty, — probably since it is New Year’s Day — that maybe the employees are happy to see people in the restaurant. They’re even more surprised, though, that the In-and-Out staff doesn’t seem fazed by Sean’s helmet.)

Phi is probably the most disappointed that she doesn’t get to keep ownership of Gab, but with a devious smile, she assures that she has cooked up a solution.

She knows Sigma might never speak to her again if she tells him that she plans to adopt a cat, so she keeps mum about her plans.

When they reach Kingman at sunset, Phi then recalls that Carlos also is the proud owner of a cat. A smirk crosses her face at the thought. She has never heard cat puns out come out of the mouth of 67-year-old Sigma’s conscious, and she can’t wait to see everyone else’s reactions to his _litter_ tic. _Oh, this will be fun._


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone discovers Sigma’s _litter_ tic, split up, with a promise to meet again in three days, and Mira tries to come to terms with her feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get a chance to proofread this completely, so please excuse any mistakes. I'll be sure to fix those when I get home tomorrow!
> 
> Also, a warning: minor descriptions of violence and gore below with Mira's "dream."

_Phi swears that in the full two minutes before Carlos shoots Delta, the bastard's face suddenly goes from calculating to blank, and then suddenly, a hint of fear passes through his slightly widened, purplish eyes. She gets the feeling as if he wants to suddenly to scream in protest, but that is when his face turns blank once more, and Carlos pulls the trigger._

.

They all are settled in Carlos’s small living room.

Upon reaching Kingman, Carlos requested Sigma to quickly stop at the hospital so that he could wish Maria a Happy New Year, like he does every year. Akane and Junpei ran in with him, while the others stayed in the RV — they didn’t want to overwhelm Maria, nor make a ruckus inside the hospital. The members of C-team came out 30 minutes later, declaring that Maria’s unofficial treatment would start tomorrow, when Akane’s brother would arrive.

Now, inside Carlos’s apartment, Diana sits on a small sofa with Sigma. Perpendicular to them, Eric and Mira sit on a loveseat, while Sean sits atop one of its armrests. Akane sits on the carpet floor with Junpei, both leaning against the nearby wall, and a scheming Phi and a humored Carlos stand suspiciously behind the couch where Q-team sits. In the center of the living room is a coffee table that is cluttered with unread mail and empty glasses of water.

Phi’s eyes twinkle with mischief when she breaks the silence that fell over them after they starting drinking their water. “Hey, wanna hear a funny joke?” When the others nod, she continues speaking. “ . . . What is Sigma’s favorite type of ion?" 

“Ooh, I know!” Sean immediately cries out. “A _dian_ ion!”

Sigma lets out a chuckle, curling his hand around Diana’s, while she simply blushes and looks down at her red stockings. “Actually, that’s a good one.” He looks impressed with Sean.

Phi appears to be pleasantly surprised by his witty answer, as well. “I’ll admit, it’s not a bad guess, but the answer is _cat_ ion.” Sigma’s smile distorts into a scowl, but it doesn’t stop her from smirking.

"Phi," Sigma warns.

“Why a cation, Phi?”

“I’ll show you.” She gestures a hand towards Carlos, who holds up his grey and white striped, Scottish Fold cat from behind the couch. The whole time, he is biting his lip to hold in his laughter. “Sigma, meet Kitty. Carlos’s old, little cat.”

Sigma’s eyes widen in panic when he sees the adorable furball that is Kitty — he didn’t want his problem to slip out in front of the others . . . but it’s too late now. Part of his brain tries to stop him from speaking, but he immediately blurts out, “Fur-ck! No offense to Kitty or you, Carlos, but, Phi, you have cat to be kitten me! You meow that I cat stop speaking in cat purr-ns when it comes to cats!” Sigma groans and slaps a palm to his forehead. “Ack, paw-don me, e-furry-one. This happens to me whene-fur cats are purr-ought up in con-fur-sation.”

“Mew feline okay, Sigma?” Junpei can’t keep a straight face as he speaks and bursts into snickers. The others join him. Akane lets out a chuckle, too, but slaps his arm, anyway. “I’m paw-rry, Akane, but this is hiss-terical!” That finally elicits a laugh to bark out of Carlos, who has been poorly trying to hold in it.

“Why are _mew_ stuck saying cat _purr-ns_ , anyway?” Mira questions laughingly.

“It’s a long tail . . . purr-haps, I’ll tail mew all anothe-purr time. If I tail you meow, it will con-fur-se you. I’m paw-sitive that — ” Sigma stops himself from continuing with a groan and tightly purses his lips shut, as Diana sweetly giggles next to him. That’s enough cat purr-ns out of him.

 _Damn you, Phi._  

.

Akane, Carlos, and Junpei decide to stay back in Kingman for three days, while the others leave for the Grand Canyon.

Akane is the one to come up with the plan, but, at first, no one is fine with separating — not even Junpei or Carlos. They all argue with her that Maria is in need of espers for morphic resonance; Akane warns them that having so many espers would only overwhelm Maria and assures that her brother, also an esper, is coming to Kingman later in the night, since he is the one who looked into the illness in conjunction with the morphogenetic field, so they won’t lack in espers.

Akane also explains, that based on her brother’s research and conclusions on Reverie Syndrome, it will take around two days to cure Maria; she then adds an estimated a third day for Maria to recover and be discharged from the hospital.

It does prompt Sean to suggest, “Why don’t we just stay in the motel for three days, then?” The others nods in agreement but Akane shakes her head.

“According to Carlos, something awaits us at the Grand Canyon in three days.” Carlos nods in confirmation. “If it has something to do with the religious fanatic, then we can’t afford to miss anything. You guys, at least, need to start heading up there.”

Phi nods in agreement. “ _Spectaculorum procedere debet_  — the show must go on.”

That does get everyone to acquiesce to Akane’s plan, albeit reluctantly. They decide to travel to the Grand Canyon and stay at a motel nearby until Akane, Junpei, and Carlos follow them. So, they check out of their rooms, (while Carlos, who spent the night in his own home, goes to bring the RV to the lobby entrance) — all of them moving in a certain, uniformed square of sorts (with Sean in the center), to discreetly keep Sean’s helmet out of sight from the motel staff and guests. 

“Three days,” Akane promises, as Sigma prepares to board the vehicle. “We will come to you.”

He nods in response. The others have already said their goodbyes to the members of C-team, and he has already bid Junpei and Carlos goodbye. “See you in three days, and all the best for treating Maria.”

Akane smiles and nods back.

.

Since escaping DCOM, Mira has been trying to distance herself from Eric. Now that she knows that his mother was her first victim, she is slightly unnerved to be around him. He, however, is insistent on staying by her side; she doesn’t understand it at all. Throughout the journey to Kingman, she was trying to explain to him that she _ripped his mother’s heart out_. Eric assured her in the RV that he forgave her for everything she’s done and wanted to do — just as how his mother said she forgave Mira, as she tore through her chest, searching, seeking for her heart, killing her. But it is not only that, she tried to remind to him; she’s the reason why his father became abusive, why his brother, Chris, is dead — she didn’t just rip his mother’s heart, she ripped his whole family apart. And yet, he still sat by her side, smiling, forgiving, loving.

She was, and still is, completely befuddled by this: why doesn’t he hate her? She wants him to scream, be angry, and _hate_ her. She needs to satisfy a strange want to see these emotions spill out of his heart — and, for the first time in her life, she means this metaphorically, _not_ literally.

Mira is unable to shake off this strange feeling that his presence evokes in her . . . guilt? Not exactly. Remorse? Perhaps she feels it, but that’s not quite the feeling she is trying to classify. She can’t properly define the emotion, at least, until she goes to bed that night in the motel near Carlos’s apartment.

She sees flashes of blood in her sleep, — though, the sensations are too real to be a dream, which makes her believe she is recalling one of the many timelines of the Decision Games — and sees herself digging a familiar, memorized path through a ribcage with a knife and her bare hands; she feels the flesh when finally being able to touch the soft tissue of the body’s heart; in her ears, she hears his voice whisper almost the exact words as her first’s last words as his blood-covered, smiling, motionless face comes into view. 

_Eric._

She is startled awake with a gasp. She is covered in a thin sheen of sweat, she is panting, and it takes her a minute to realize that there is that dysfunctional _thing_ of hers pounding against her ribcage. Why is her heart beating so fast? Usually, all of this only happens when Mira exercises or runs, but this is an exception.

Her eyes quickly flit to Eric, a strange feeling of relief washing over her when she sees he is safely sleeping beside her. She tries to calmly think over her dream and comes to the conclusion it is one of those night terrors that she has read about in books. She has noticed that the nightmares elicit feelings of fear and distress that can cause the reactions she is experiencing at the moment.

Her dream of that presumed timeline turned into a nightmare for her when she saw that it was Eric’s heart she was seeking — it was what caused the fear and distress. _This is how it feels to be in fear and distress_? She wonders why she would even feel like this in the first place, since she has always planned to kill Eric for his heart. She tries to think about doing it again, just for her internal argument’s sake, but an unexpected shudder runs through her body. The thought suddenly seems awful and unbearable, which astonishes her. What is going on with her?

One thing is for sure, though. After that awful dream, Mira doesn’t need to touch a heart to realize that the strange, indescribable emotion she has been feeling whenever she now sees Eric may be shame.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Clover wakes up to see Aoi Kurashiki, who tells her that they must leave for Kingman soon, and realizes too late that she and her brother are in love with the same man.

“Just _leave me alone!” she screams. Her voice was so soft before, mumbling the words low enough that he did not hear her, and prompting her to repeat the quiet words a few times._

_But now, she has snapped, and Aoi doesn’t want to leave her alone. There are so many things that could go wrong at this point. Akane had warned him that Clover was the impressionable factor that would determine his sister’s fate — the true_ ending _or a bad_ end _._

 _“Clover — ”_

_“Go away,” she sobs softly, feeling herself slide down the wall and crumpling into a mess on the linoleum floor of the hall just outside of the 1 st class cabin. _

_“Hey . . .” He crouches down to the floor and grasps her shoulders. “Calm down. We’re doing our best to find him.”_

_Her throat tightens and her nose stings a bit. “What if . . . what if he is dead?” She turns to face him, moisture in her eyes. She holds up her hands, and turns them over so that her palms are faced upward. Her vision is blurry from her tears, but she stares at her shaking hands. “What if Zero killed him?”_

_Suddenly, Aoi could see a way to steer the course of the direction Clover would take them. “That’s too obvious. That’s what that bastard wants us to think. And think about it. Where would Zero have killed Snake anyway? Is he even on this ship? If he is, where is he?”_

_She turns to him with a grave expression. “H-He . . . he could be one of us.”_

_Aoi shrugs nonchalantly. “He could be,” he agrees, trying to maintain an innocent face. It would be bad if he gave Clover, or anyone else, for that matter, an impression that he was behind Light's disappearance._

_Her sad, teary eyes meet his. “You . . . you didn’t kill my brother, did you, Santa?”_

_He shakes his head vigorously. “No, I didn’t, I promise you,” he swears. He would never even dream of killing the man? “How are you so sure he’s dead, anyway?”_

_“Well, he could be dead.” Her voice is soft, but broken. Her hands are folded, almost in prayer, as she looks down._ _“It’s more than likely that he is dead, in a sick place like this.”_

_Aoi can’t bear to see her suffer like this. “But he could be alive,” he points out. This whole game was composed of many basic Schrodinger’s cats, two specific examples being Snake and Akane, as she once explained to Aoi . . . Ah, he’s going to be too obvious! Aoi needs to shut his mouth up at this point, or else she’ll figure it out._

_“Do you believe in luck, Clover?”_

_She swallows and nods slowly. “Well, my name_ is _Clover.”_

_“Then, why do you think Snake’s dead? Clover, you’re his 4-leaf clover — his good luck charm. Do you think he can die if you’re around?”_

_Her eyebrows furrow and she shakes her head slowly, accepting defeat. “Faith, love, and luck,” she murmurs softly._

_“Hope.” His voice is a mere whisper, but she manages to catch it it._

_She whips her head towards him, with her eyes widened in surprise. “What? What did you just say!?”_

_Aaaaaaaaaaaugh, he needs to tape his fucking mouth shut. “I . . . I said that you need to be hopeful. Be hopeful that he isn’t dead.”_

_Clover could swear that he — no, it is probably just a coincidence. There’s no way that he could know about what Snake said in the First Nonary Game . . . could he?_

_But, a few hours later, when Junpei tells her about the bookmark, she recalls Santa’s words once more._

_For the rest of the Nonary Game, she is certain that he was on the Gigantic with her brother — another participant of the First Nonary Game. He has to be a friend, not an enemy._

_. . . It did stung when the words, “Shut up! Just shut up, you stupid bitch! You want me to put a bullet in your fucking head?!” spat from his mouth, and she felt an odd sense of betrayal at the time, but when she closes her eyes and feels her skin soak up the hot Nevada sun, she understands that it was all for his sister. That is when she thinks to herself determinedly that she will find Aoi Kurashiki, even if she has to travel to heaven and to hell to do so._

.

As confused and disoriented as she feels, as if she took an unexpectedly long nap in the middle of the day, only to awake 7 hours later, Clover never thought she would feel so tingly like this.

She woke up to the man she has been dreaming to meet sitting by her side. The room (which looked more like an abandoned warehouse-turned, cheap housing space) she was in was definitely not hers. He searched her face as a sly smirk played on his lips — it had made her heart skip a beat. “Good morning, princess,” he greeted teasingly, crossing his arms over his chest.

She gasped. “Santa!” She wrenched out of the unknown bed, but immediately slapped a hand to her forehead as a dizzy spell pushed her back onto her pillow.

His eyes widened as he grasped her arm, trying to restrain her from sitting up. “Hey, don’t stress yourself out. You’re okay . . . you’ve just been sleeping for a long time.” And it seemed, by the dark circles beneath his eyes, that he has not. 

Her eyes bugged out and she smacked her hand to her forehead. “How long?!”

“Approximately a little over a week.” 

“What!? I slept through Christmas and New Years?!” She wanted to get out of bed and run to the nearest phone to call Light — he must have been so worried — but, once again, Aoi held her down. “I need a phone! I need to call my brother!”

“Clover, relax, please,” he soothed, rubbing her shoulder. “He has been informed that you’re okay, so don’t rush yourself in trying to get out of bed. We don’t have to leave for another few hours, anyway.” He rose from the bed and walked over to the small kitchen area in front of the bed.

She struggled to recall what had happened before she was brought here, but the only thing that came to mind was her superior and their plans to infiltrate Free the Soul’s facility. “Alice!” she cried, and her widened eyes met his. “San — uh, Aoi! Where am I? Why have you brought me here, and where the hell is Alice?” She paused, before recalling his previous words. “Where are we going?!” Her stomach rumbled loudly at that moment, making her blush in embarrassment — this was not how she wanted her first meeting with Aoi Kurashiki after a year to go down.

Aoi returned with a tray with a large stack of lacquer boxes full of many Japanese dishes, and a small bowl full of fried chicken, that he then placed on the bedside table. “. . .You must be so hungry.” Clover sat up as he handed her a glass of water and a few pills. She graciously took the pills, and downed them with the water he gave her. When he saw that she finished taking her medicine, he took the glass from her, got the tray and steadied it on her lap. “Alice is fine, don’t worry; you’ll see her again very soon. You, Clover, are here because you’re a very necessary part of our plan.” She began to ravish the food, suddenly feeling like a starved cavewoman. He grinned as he leaned against the wall. “Fried chicken from KFC, since you slept through Christmas, and Osechi Ryori to start the New Year, even though we’re not in Japan.”

Clover nodded excitedly, as she immediately grabbed the tray and dug in to eat; she felt an immediate sense of satisfaction and elation as she chewed through her chicken — savoring the taste of the buttermilk crusted skin of the fried meat. “Kentucky for Christmas!” she cried out happily.

He laughed. “Yes . . . And, oh, to answer the last of your questions: welcome to one of the secret, Crash Keys underground bases.” He smirked, probably amused by her reactions. After all, she knew that he knew that SOIS had been trying to locate Crash Keys for so long, not only because they were in need of more espers from the First Nonary Game, but because they wanted the vigilante organization to share information with SOIS. “We will soon be making our way to Kingman, Arizona. My sister has explained to me what is going on, and, I promise, I’ll explain to you in the car.”

Clover nodded once again, this time more seriously. “Alright. But don’t you withhold any important information from me, alright?!”

He rolls his eyes. “Wouldn’t fucking dream of it. But do prepare for a sensory overload, since I do have much information to share with you.”

That was not important; Clover didn’t care what crazy things he was about to tell her — she was just so excited to finally see and talk to him again. 

So, as they drove to Kingman, she thought about all of the times she had talked about finding Aoi. She had so many things to say to him, but didn’t know where to begin. 

Suddenly, Clover broke away from her thoughts and realized that Aoi stopped talking. She looked up to see him smirking. “Clover.”

“Santa — um, Aoi.” She smiled back blushingly. _Aaah, way to go, Clover! Already making an idiot out of yourself in front of him._

“What’s on your mind?”

“Not much. Just that it is 2029 . . . Happy New Year, Aoi.”

“Happy New Year, Clover.” He gave her a genuine smile — she didn’t know that it is the happiest and most hopeful New Year that Aoi has experienced since his parents’ deaths. 

Now, they sit in the minivan with two familiar faces, and two new friends. Aoi begrudgingly sits in the backseat with Junpei, while Akane and Maria sit in the two back passenger seats in front of them. Clover, on the other hand, sits in the passenger seat that is next to the driver.

“Maria? You alright back there?” Carlos tries to confirm, as he alternates between looking at the road and looking at his sister through his rearview mirror when he speaks to her.

Maria nods reassuringly. “Yes, Carlos.” Clover turns to see her innocent smile. Maria behaves a little less mature than her actual age, but Clover understands that it is due to the coma induced by her Reverie Syndrome — which she can’t wait to go back home and explain to Light about.

Aoi wasn’t lying when he warned her about an information overload; he told her _everything_ : from the timeline in which Radical-6 escaped, in which he talked about her and Alice (who is still in cold sleep, as of now) being participants of the AB Game and the reason why they were needed for that, to the Decision Games, and whatever else Akane has told him via telephone and morphogenetic field. He also told her that her presence was necessary since she is an experienced esper who could help Carlos, Akane, and Junpei cure Carlos’s sister’s illness. Clover was so quick to agree to help Carlos and his sister, because she knows that she would want someone to help her if she and Light were in the same position, heaven forbi —

Akane, who has been chatting with Maria and Aoi, breaks Clover out of her thoughts. “Hey, Clover! I might need to ask you a favor regarding Light.”

“Akane!” Aoi suddenly snaps at his sister, which causes Clover to jump in her seat. He coolly leans back in his seat and crosses his arms defensively over his chest. “Stop this, now. What did I tell you before? You’re making a mountain out of a molehill” 

“No, I’m not!” she insists firmly, as she purses her lips. “I can see it in your eyes every time you talk about him.” She reaches over to place her hand on his arm reassuringly and turns to Clover. “It might be a bit forward of me to say this, since I can’t say for certain that your brother feels the same way, but we have to set up Aoi with Light.”

Clover feels the blood drain from her face as her eyes widen. She feels her suddenly stiff face settle into a confused look. “Set Aoi up with . . . Light?” she hesitantly repeats.

Akane nods enthusiastically. “I don’t think I’ve heard him stop talking about him since . . . we were kids, actually. Of course, his talks magnified after last year.”

“Oh, god.” Junpei begins to laugh next to Aoi. “According to Akane, he hasn’t been able to shut up about Light for so long.”

“You, shut the fuck up,” Aoi grouses to Junpei, flashing him a middle finger, which Junpei returns cheekily. This causes Akane to scold them both and slap their arms playfully.

 _Aoi likes Light?!_ Though she is devastated to discover this, she is also very confused. She didn’t even think . . . she didn’t realize that Aoi liked guys. She only followed where her feelings took her, without any thought for Aoi’s sexual preference or feelings. _God! What the hell were you thinking, Clover?! You thought it’d be a sappy romance novel where you’d run into his arms and he’d tell you that he has feelings for you, too, you idiot. You didn’t even stop to realize he didn’t like girls, let alone like you?!_ she screams in her mind. _Are you fucking blind!?_ _He likes Light,_ not you _!_

But what could she have done? She was blindfolded by her feelings for him, her desire to find him after the Second Nonary Game, that she wasn’t able to see that Aoi didn’t like her, but her brother! . . . And, oh, how selfish she has been! Light! He likes Light! What if Light has always liked him back?! 

“Aoi,” she calls out, grabbing his, and the others’ attentions. With slumped shoulders and a heavy heart, Clover gives Aoi a cheerful grin. “He . . . talks about you, too.” It is only now that she realizes how Light _has_ , in fact, always talked about Aoi in admiration, after both Nonary Games.

Perhaps, she has been inattentive to her brother’s feelings. No, not perhaps . . . she has been so inattentive. She has been so caught up in Free the Soul and SOIS that she hasn’t realized that she has been stupidly falling for the same man her brother has loved for years. She feels something prick her skull as she realizes how wretched of a sister she is. Light is such a caring brother, who needs no words to understand Clover, but she . . . she is a terrible sister, who didn’t even have an inkling about his feelings for Aoi.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , she berates herself mentally, her throat suddenly tightening, threatening to let out a sob. _You didn’t think, as usual, and look where it’s led you._

Aoi’s ears perk up at her words, unaware of her depressed state. “Is that so?” He terribly fakes a nonchalant voice, which is actually full of curiosity and delight; it both elates and breaks Clover’s heart.

She swallows down the feelings of sorrow stuck in her throat and feebly smiles. “Yes. Aoi. If you need a little _Light_ in your life, I know just the guy that can help you out.” She winks at him, but inside, she feels the bits of her heart slowly cracking. Everyone laughs at Aoi's expense, as the tips of his ears turn red. Clover, to not dampen the mood, tries her best to keep in place a mask of happiness, but when she turns away to stare straight ahead at the road, her smile immediately falls and her face crumbles.

Light is her world, so, if Aoi is the one he loves, she’ll happily give up the one she loves for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone that does not like this development, if you will, I promise that this sibling triangle won't be central to the plot, and is a one-chapter thing; this is simply in the story because I do want to give these three characters some closure and an ending of sorts, since they aren't really brought up in ZTD (and also because I'm just a sucker for some Aoi/Light). 
> 
> Next chapter is the _nineth_ chapter, which marks the halfway point and the start of big things that are going to happen. Prepare yourselves! ;)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Phi makes a detour to satisfy her sudden urge to eat some spicy, Indian food in Flagstaff, Arizona, Eric finally snaps at Mira, and a somehow 20-year-old Delta catches Phi sneaking into a Flagstaff research facility in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post this until midnight, but (since I've been speeding ahead with writing the chapters) I finished writing the epilogue a little earlier than I planned, and so, I thought it was fair to post the chapter now.
> 
> Okay, kiddies, buckle your seat belts, because it’s the _nineth_ chapter - get ready for the beginning of some shit going down! ;)

“Phi, what are you doing!? Didn’t you hear me? You were supposed to take the exit!”

“Shut up, Sigma! I know where I’m going!”

“Oh, really? Then you must know that the Grand Canyon is north from here, and not east, which is where you’re headed.”

As her father yells, Phi pulls into a rest area and parks the RV. She releases her foot off the break and sighs, slumping back in her seat.

Sigma is about to smugly tell her to admit defeat, that she is going the wrong way, but Phi beats him to it.

“Sigma,” she starts calmly. “Flagstaff is east from here. I want to stop there.”

A ‘v’ takes shape between his furrowed brows. “Flagstaff? Phi, we can’t go to there; we have to go to the Grand Canyon. Remember what Carlos said?”

“What the hell!?” He stumbles back in his seat, surprised by Phi’s outburst. “That’s not fair, Sigma, if Carlos wants to go to Kingsman or the Grand Canyon, you’re completely okay with it, but if I want to make a stop in Flagstaff, you completely deny me!”

 _Uh oh_. Was this one those infamous tantrums he heard came with most daughters? Suddenly, Sigma misses Kyle impossibly more. “Um, calm down, Phi — ”

“No, it’s really not fair!” she shouts stubbornly, but then closes her eyes for a moment and exhales. “I didn’t mean to yell. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I understand.” Sigma smiles reassuringly at her, but inside, he’s mentally wiping the sweat off his forehead. _I forget that Phi isn’t like most daughters._ “I guess I am being a little unfair, but tell me what’s going on, Phi.”

Phi exhales sharply, trying to calm herself down. “Sigma, we have two more days to kill. Can’t we just go spend them there? It’s only a two hour drive to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff.”

“What’s in Flagstaff?”

“ . . . ”

“Phi?”

“I want to go to the Delhi Palace,” she mumbles grumpily, almost to herself, that Sigma has trouble understanding her words.

“What was that?”

 She turns away from Sigma and sighs in frustration. “I just want some killer, spicy Indian food, okay?!” 

.

Later that night, Sigma has to admit, though he had never eaten Indian food and was hesitant to try it, whatever he had just eaten — as he had no idea what the dish was or how it was pronounced, since Diana and Phi picked out something for him — was one of the best meals he has ever eaten. 

He and Eric don’t like spicy food, and specifically made it clear in their orders that their meals were not to come out spicy, which prompted both Diana and Phi to complain that it doesn’t taste as good without the heat of the peppers and masala mixes. Regardless, the food tasted absolutely delicious, and it was their first hearty, filling meal (that wasn’t fast-food) after the Decision Game.

While they ate, poor Sean sat alone in the trailer, unable to come out in public due to his sphere of a head.

“Do you want me to stay with you, Sean?” Eric had offered, after everyone had started to board off the RV. Sean had known he had not done so out of politeness, but out of genuine care, which had touched his heart — if Delta even had programmed some sort of heart in him in the first place. 

He had shaken his large helmet as he assured, “Thank you, but I’m okay, Eric. You need to eat.”

“I could stay with you as well, Sean.”

“It’s fine, Sigma. Don’t worry about me, you guys. Go eat!” he had insisted, pointing a finger towards the window.

No one liked leaving him, but he cheerfully assured that he didn’t mind. Though Sean didn’t mind the silence and used it to think, both Sigma and Eric hated having him alone like this. It further determined Sigma to create a head and face for him, as quickly and efficiently as possible, and Eric to stay by his side as much as he could.

Mira spent most of the dinner eating her Garlic Naan and spicy Chicken Tikka Masala in silence, simply listening to the conversations the others were having and nodding when appropriate. Only at the end, as they had finished splitting the bill and were leaving the restaurant, did she speak, but just to comment on how the food was delicious and that the varying blends of spices are why Indian cuisine is probably one of her favorites.

“Thanks for convincing Sigma to let us eat here, Phi,” she thanked hesitantly, but genuinely, a smile slowly spreading across her face, which didn’t surprise her as much as she was expecting it to, but it certain did take everyone else off-guard.

After everyone sits inside the RV, Sigma drives them all to a nearby motel. They get four rooms — all connecting rooms. Eric and Mira and Sean take a pair of connecting, while the other set of rooms, across from them, goes to Phi, Diana and Sigma. Sean gets his own room, so that he can freely watch the television or do whatever he wants to without waking anyone up, and so does Phi.

“What parents want their kid to cock-block them?” she justifies, which causes Eric to laugh, and Mira and Sean to chuckle. Diana buries her blushing face into Sigma’s chest, and Sigma groans in embarrassment and scolds Phi, who shrugs unapologetically. 

They end up enjoying Flagstaff for another day, and when nightfall approaches, their day of sightseeing causes them to retire for the night earlier than usual, with each person heading to bed at 9PM.

Phi, however, quietly slips out of her room at 10:30PM, walks towards the lobby without looking back.

.

 

Once they’re behind closed doors, Mira quietly asks Eric to come sit on the bed with her. Eric is pleased to hear this immediately scrambles to her side. She’s so shocked at how easily accepting he is. She’s ruined his life and here he sits, smiling next to her. She feels so frustrated by this and tells him so. He merely stays silent as she keeps reiterating her wrongs and how they have impacted his life, only telling her at the end of her rant that he forgives her, but says it very quickly; it makes Mira feel that he is trying to simply do away with it all and does not wish to face this problem.

She arises from the bed and begins to pace. “I don’t buy it. You can’t possibly have fully forgiven me! No one has that big of a heart, Eric!” She is trying to hold herself back from speaking louder, as Phi, Diana, and Sigma sleep across the hall, and she doesn’t want Sean catching wind of their conversation either, but she can’t help but raise her voice at him. “I don’t care how much you say you love me! I don’t understand how you can forgive me and love me even after finding out that _I destroyed your family_! How do you expect us to happily stay together if you don’t want to acknowledge all I’ve done and just throw it under the bus?!”

Something in her words seems to shatter his illusion and bring him to reality, as, suddenly, Eric snaps. He wrenches out of his seat on the bed and grabs her shoulders tightly.

“Yes, it’s hard for me to forgive you, but I still try!” he yells, furious with her. “And, yes, Mira, I know you _killed_ my mother!”

Mira freezes, even though she should be relieved that he is finally going to tell her off.

“You’re the reason why my father killed my brother!” he continues, shouting at her — but it’s not as satisfying as Mira initially imagined it being. “Why my family is gone . . . and Akane’s parents, too, are gone because of you! Why we were probably stuck playing the fucking Decision Game.”

 _And why the world will be saved from the religious fanatic_ , she wants to quietly add, but refrains from doing so. She inhales and exhales once, before imploring, “Then tell me, Eric, how can I fix this? How can I get you to forgive me?”

“You want me to forgive you? Since when has the Heart Ripper has wanted to repent or had cared about her victims?!” he sneers angrily.

The words hurt, Mira admits, though she understands now that she, a killer, deserves nothing less. Still, it feels like Eric is the bow, and his words are an arrow that has pierced her chest. She begins to feel hopeless, but instead of giving up, she resists her urge to turn away and looks at him straight in the eye. “I . . . tell me, Eric. What will make you forgive me? How can you accept me after all I’ve done to you?” she insists again. 

His eyes flash angrily. “You want to know how we’ll can be together, after all you’ve done!? Pay for your sins, Mira! Go repent for your crimes!” he seethes, suddenly in her face.

He then growls to himself and storms out of the motel room, loudly slamming the door behind him — if that doesn’t wake up Sigma, Diana, and Phi, Mira doesn’t know what will. 

She doesn’t move for a few minutes after Eric’s departure. She feels no need to go after him; he has to cool down and she must come to terms with her feelings. She simply stands and tries to cool off her mind.

When the feelings are no more overwhelming than usual, — usual being since their departure from DCOM — Mira leans against the door to the connecting room, crossing her arms and sighing to herself, as more unfamiliar feelings surface — not quite sad, but not completely satisfied with what has just occurred; she doesn’t feel the closure she yearns for and assumed that would come if Eric lashed out on her. His words replay in her mind many times, but it just makes herself feel worse.

The last time she remembers his words, her long, slim eyebrows furrow in confusion, as she recalls one particular sentence. _Pay for my sins . . ._? she wonders to herself, as she leans her head against the door, looking up towards the ceiling.

Behind that door, in the adjacent room, Sean struggles to make a decision.

. 

His shaggy, red hair flutters in the wind as his hands are buried in his pockets. As he strolls, he whistles a tune that no one of this generation would know.

When the 20-year old man reaches the entrance of the facility, he touches the keypad, his fingers tapping on the correct numbers for the passcode unwaveringly. A smirk graces his handsome face when doors open to the inside of the abandoned research lab that he came out of merely an hour before. In the sea of white walls and floor, there she stands — though, with her white hair and blouse, she almost blends in — with her back towards him.

.

When she hears the door open, she freezes and her eyes widen in shock — like a deer in headlights.

“Caught you,” his smooth, quiet voice teases. Her shoulders slump in relief, which prompts a chuckle. “Hello, my dearest sister.” His cadence of speech is from another time.

She turns around, and though she is unsurprised to see him, in such a youthful state, no less, she scowls. “Delta. You bastard.” Her voice is calm, in her flat monotone, but rage boils beneath her slow, weary voice. “You have the nerve to show me your face after all you’ve done.”

He quietly crosses his arms over her chest, a wicked grin gracing his youthful face. “I hope you recall that we are twins, Phi. If I am a bastard, then what are you?”

She rolls her eyes and scoffs, ignoring his teasing. “I’d ask how you knew to find me here, but I won’t humor you with that.” She knows he can read her mind, but feels a pressing need to bring the words to her lips. “I had to see for myself that the transporter was going to be moved to a different facility all the way in New York for ‘further research.’” After giving the transporter — the device in where a researcher found and took in a child — a long, lasting look, she then sighs. “. . . Why the hell are you even here, Delta?”

“I’m here to meet my darling sister.”

“Well, congratulations. You’ve just met me. Now you can leave me be,” she sneers, her voice growing more irritated with each word.

He sighs, almost in mock exasperation, and tsks at her. “My dear sister, Phi, always so blunt and to the point. Allow me to rephrase my words: I’m here to meet my darling _sisters_.” 

Suddenly, her clear, blue eyes flash angrily, and she takes a few steps closer towards her brother. “Where _is_ she?!” she snarls menacingly, grabbing ahold of his turtleneck. She can see that his eyes are alight with humor behind those awful, bright red sunglasses — a birthday present from Left when they were younger. “If you’ve hurt her, Delta, — if she’s hurt, at all, I swear . . .” she trails off threateningly in a hoarse voice, her eyes not leaving his. Her throat feels tight and tears are streaming down her cheeks freely, but she doesn’t care that she’s showing weakness in front of him anymore.

His eyes soften, and he places his hands on her shoulders — she resists the urge to slap them away, but knows he is much stronger than her. “My motives are often . . . _complex_. But still, I shall explain to you my motives for coming here, Phi.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Phi who has snuck into the research facility is actually the "other" Phi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, we're making our way towards the ending (even though this is the mark of the second half of the fic, chapter-wise), and things are going to get a little hectic and maybe confusing - if anyone is left confused or anything, please don't hesitate to let me know! I'll explain everything right away!
> 
> Warning: This chapter shows attempted suicide along with some "background" characters committing suicide in the flashback below.

_She comes home from the market one day to find him hunched over his desk in his room. Delta is normally never in here, especially not since Left was killed, since they used to share this room. His door is wide open, which prompts her to enter unannounced. She lets out a sigh that is slightly exasperated but confused. “What are you writing, Delta?”_

_Upon hearing her voice, he turns his head and looks in some sort of sad surprise. He shuts the flap of the notebook closed and leaves it on the table. “Oh.” He rises up from his seat and smiles. “Hello, Phi.” He leans down to embrace her small figure tightly, which leaves her confused. “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmurs softly._

_“Hello, brother.” She blinks. “What’s going on? You’re hugging me as if I have been gone for years, when I only just saw you this morning.”_

_He doesn’t answer, but turns to stare at the photo of a blond, teenage boy, an innocent, kind boy whose life was taken away from them too early._

_Left died 4 years ago, but a day does not go by that Delta takes a moment in the day to pay his respects to the photo of the boy on his desk. Phi doesn’t believe in God, — since their foster father, the researcher who found them, is one of the rare members of their society who believes in the power of science over prayer — but, sometimes, when Phi sees Delta pay his respects, she says a quick prayer for Left’s soul to rest in peace, since the boy was probably the most religious out of the three children, and followed his mother’s religion._

_His eyes wander down, slightly sheepish. “Well, I’ve been lonely without you or Left . . .”_

_“Oh, Delta,” Phi sighs sadly, frowning. “Left, I understand, but I’ve only been gone for a few hours.”_

_He gives her a despondent smile — empty and hollow like his purplish gray eyes. “Yes, but I have to leave now, too, so I’ll be lonely without you.”_

_Phi furrows her eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean? Where are you going? Father said you and I were going to be educated here. You can’t go somewhere else — father has already prepared for our admission here in the United States!” They were very fortunate that they were well off during this economic drought of sorts, where beggars scattered across the streets._

_“No, Phi . . .” His eyes flicker to the Metamec clock on the desk, that he brought from their home in Germany, and then looks back at her with sad eyes. “I’ll be gone for a few hours.” He leans down to kiss Phi’s forehead in farewell, and then turns on his heels and runs off._

_“Wait, Delta!” she cries out, and chases after him. Delta rarely ever kisses her forehead, so this feels like he’s saying goodbye._

_She manages to track him down to the train station near her house, but feels her heart stop beating for the moment that he walks onto the tracks._

_“No, Delta!” The train is coming; she can hear its horn blare loudly in her ears. He doesn’t close his eyes as he waits for the train to reach him._

_There are a few others, a few meters behind him, also awaiting death, which tugs painfully at Phi’s heart. This is nothing out of the ordinary, at least, for the past three years or so: people would commonly throw themselves in front of an incoming train, weary and unable to continue their life of destitute. Though Phi wants more than nothing to save them as well, her first priority is her twin brother. Her legs push her faster — thank god that her father and mother allow her to wear pants — towards Delta._

_“Delta!” she screeches, as she finally reaches him and yanks him by the shoulders off the track. “Are you out of your mind?! What the fuck were you thinking?!” She begins to weep, as the cries and screams of those ending their lives grow louder . . . and then suddenly stop as the train screeches with the sound of its breaks._ That could have been him _, she thinks repeatedly to herself. “You can’t leave me alone! Left is gone, but I won’t let you go anywhere, either.” Her shoulders shake as the sobs wrack uncontrollably through her body “Why would you try do that to me!?”_

_“Phi!” Delta looks so dazed and disoriented, as if he has woken up from a nap. Suddenly, he appears to be a different then he was a moment ago. “I-I . . . I don’t know what happened, Phi.” He grasps her shoulders, and looks on to where the train has stopped. He shakes his head and grabs her wrist, tugging it with his hand. Tears are in his eyes, too. “I want to go home, Phi. Let’s go home, please,” he begs in an unsteady voice. “I need to get away from here.”_

_That night, he doesn’t come out of his room, and Phi doesn’t feel the need to tell their foster parents when they question his absence at dinner — they have already suffered so much after Left’s death that Phi does not want to break their heart by telling them their other son almost tried to kill himself — or perhaps, maybe he tried to jump his consciousness like Phi had the feeling she was able to . . ._

_No, that doesn’t seem right to Phi._

_There were certain secrets kept between the two of them — secrets of their powers. Though Left knew about Delta’s mind reading, along with Phi, he did not know that Phi has had this_ feeling _for such a long time that she has the ability to jump between alternate timelines, along with waking up some mornings to strange flashes of her in other universes, trying to . . . SHIFT, as her “dreams” have called it._

_For a while, she believed that maybe Delta, too, could jump. But the twins have already tried to make him jump, using the information that Phi just happened to always know in her mind, and it has never worked. Delta has always urged her to try, too, but she has always been against it, in fear of never being able to have her consciousness return to her current body and timeline._

_But if Delta had tried once more to SHIFT, it would make sense as to why he’d be a little dazed after Phi saved him from the train. Why would he risk his life by throwing himself in front of train instead of asking Phi, however, to endanger his life?_

_Either he knew for a fact that he would be able to SHIFT, or that Phi would come after him and save him._

_. . . Or maybe, both._

_So, instead of telling her parents anything, she claims that he hasn’t been feeling well, and she brings food up to his room, with the intention of asking him if he tried to jump. She is surprised to see him calm, less shaken up then before, and notices the notebook in his hand that he was writing on before, along with the music box birdcage he was sent with when transported to 1904 with Phi (which, unbeknownst to her, Delta plans to sell tomorrow at a specific pawn shop near the research center that holds the transporter, where their father works). Instinctively, she reaches up to trace along the edge of her brooch, which causes him to smile — the asshole is probably reading her mind, again._

_“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” she tells him._

_“Yes . . . Phi, I’m sorry for what I did back there. I don’t know what I was thinking, truthfully. I was being quite foolish.”_

_Phi gives him a look of sympathetically as she tucks a loose strand of her red hair behind her ear.. “I know it’s hard to move on from Left’s death. We all loved him and miss him dearly, but, Delta, we have to stay strong for the two people who gave us life and raised us. They took care of us and did everything they could to make sure we were never sad, and now, it’s our turn. Mother and Father already lost one child, so do not let them experience that pain, again. Instead, we should work to fill their lives with as much happiness as we can.”_

_He nods. “I agree. I’m sorry to have been so selfish.”_

_Phi shakes her head to refute his words, but he turns his face away, effectively making her realize that this part of the conversation is over._

_“I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make sure Mother, Father, and_ you _, Phi, never have to face any troubles in your lives,” he vows, reaching over to grasp his sister’s hand and squeeze it gently._

_Suddenly, without her own accord, she feels her hand squeeze his back._

_She widens her eyes in shock and immediately retracts her hand from his — did he just control her actions? Stunned, she whips her head up to Delta, who looks pleased._

_“What the_ fuck _was that?” she shrieks._

 _“I think that was . . . I-I think I can Mind Hack.” Though hesitant in his words, he is completely honest with her, like he has always promised to be._

_She stares at her hand, which suddenly feels very tingly. “Mind Hack?”_

_“Controlling someone’s actions. It can be a useful tool if I can track down Left’s killers — ”_

_“No!” she cries. “Delta, please do not misuse it! It’s frightening and wrong!” This was exactly why she did not wish to attempt to SHIFT, and didn’t want him to either. A thought unexpectedly occurs to her, then. What if his attempt today had something to do with saving Left, or finding or punishing his killers? “Delta . . . promise me, you won’t misuse you power to Mind Hack.”_

_He looks down, but doesn’t answer back._

_She is unable to fall asleep when she goes to bed later on, but it's not just because her hand trembles for the rest of the night._

_The next morning, he disappears before Phi can remember to ask him about the contents of his notebook, and does not return until later that evening for dinner, returning with flowers he had picked for Mother, making Phi immediately forget what she wanted to ask him._

.

“Yes, a part of my motives was to see you, Sophia.” It’s strange to hear the man she grew up with address her by her new, self-chosen name. He chuckles, most likely having read her mind. “Even in your new identity, you kept your old self. In Sophia, there is Phi.” He smirks. “And you didn’t even try to be subtle; you made the pronunciation as ‘so- _fy_ -a,’ instead of the customary pronunciation of ‘so-fi-a.’ You made it that way so you could stay true to your real identity — while trying to make sure she was not able to figure out who you really are. _Tu fui, ego eris_ — quite literally.”

She doesn’t answer him, only glowering at him. “Yes, I changed my name so that she would not know who I am. But, please, get to the point, Delta.”

He laughs cheerfully, almost like his conscious is really still is 20, Phi notices. “You haven’t changed, at all. Still calm on the outside, but ever-so impatient inside.” An irritated Sophia is about to talk, or, more than likely, yell at him, but he speaks. “Well, Sophia, though I wished to see you, I really came here with the intent to meet our parents, along with the little Phi you raised.”

She turns to his face to sharply glare at him. “Leave her alone, Delta,” she warns through gritted teeth, hands balled into fists at her sides.

His face grows solemn. “Listen, Phi, I have to meet her. I have to meet them . . . I’ve been given a chance to unite with them since my birth, and you have a chance to meet them, too. You can do whatever your heart desires, but I’m not going to let this chance go to waste.”

“Delta, you — ”

“Gran!”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Phi, Sigma, and Diana discover the identity and learn about the past of the old woman who raised Phi, and Delta speaks of how he caught the attention of Lord Gordain in their childhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR INFORMATION OVERLOAD OF BACKSTORY I CREATED AND FOR TWO PHI's. Enjoy! ;)

Sophia gasps at the sound and turns her head around to her younger self in the open doorway of the facility, as a man and a woman follow from behind her — are these two people her parents? She looks at them in awe for a moment, until she sees Phi approach her. “Phi!” she cries out in surprise, running towards her. 

“Gran!” Phi shouts back again, sighing in relief as she feels the old woman’s arms around her. There is a sense of comfort she feels that she only felt once when Diana hugged her back in DCOM, before the Decision Game.

“Oh, Phi, I’m so glad you are safe!” she murmurs in her ear, which makes Phi feels as if she is already home. 

Phi frowns. “I remembered you said you were going to the research center where you found me, and I was so worried for you, Gran. I thought . . . I thought, he — ” Phi breaks off with an exhale of breath, as she grips her tighter. She is showing vulnerability in front Sigma and Diana — who are currently approaching from behind her — but _fuck it_ , they are her parents. They’ve seen her cry and suffer from diaper rashes in other timelines, so why does it matter if they see her like this? The woman who raised her and was her mother/grandmother figure in Diana’s absence could have been in danger, dammit. 

“You’d thought what, Phi?” Sophia asks coaxingly, as she rubs her back soothingly. 

“I thought . . .” She shakes her head. “Forget it.”

“You thought that I'd hurt her, Phi.” 

Phi looks up from her Gran’s embrace, and Diana and Sigma look towards the source of the voice, startled.

His clothing is the same as Phi last saw him, only with the addition of a white scarf tied around his neck — if it weren’t for that scarf, or for the course on the Evolution of Fashion taken as an elective last semester, Phi wouldn’t have realized that his attire comes straight out the early 1930s, most likely spring fashion.

“You,” she growls menacingly, clutching onto Sophia’s shoulders tighter and beginning to move in front of her, protecting her from the redhead man. “How the fuck are you even here?” 

“Delta . . . ?” Diana gasps.

“Mom,” the young man whispers, and then turns to Sigma, “and Dad.” He smiles. 

“You are Delta, then.” Sigma nods, protectively curling an arm around Diana’s body, and placing his other hand on Phi’s shoulder. “So, you did SHIFT when Carlos shot you, after all . . . and then, you must have used the transporter to come here, right?” 

Delta grins. “Yes, it is I.” He ignores Sigma’s last words as his eyes flits to Phi. “Phi, after Carlos told you all that the next destination would be the Grand Canyon, you immediately thought of Sophia, who you knew would be spending her New Years in Flagstaff. After all, the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff are not so far from each other.”

Phi shouldn’t be surprised that he hasn’t mispronounced her Gran’s name like everyone else does — normally, people say the ‘phi’ part of her name with a ‘fi’ pronunciation, when it is actually pronounced ‘fy,’ like Phi’s name; it was an uncanny similarity, Phi admits, but she had shrugged it off as mere chance. But now, hearing Delta say it makes her believe that it has been no coincidence at all.

“You . . . you _bastard_ , get away from her! Get away from us! Haven’t you done enough to us?” she screams, trying to rip out of Sophia’s hug to attack Delta, but Sophia holds her back, noticing how Delta’s cunning face slightly falls.

“Phi, wait! Believe me, I know better than anyone that Delta is a bit of an asshole, but please, don’t attack him!”

She whips her head towards Sophia, stunned. “Gran, you know who he is!?”

“And you know him,” she states back tonelessly, her eyes suddenly stare into Phi as if she is peering into her soul. 

“The fuck I do. This goddamn old” — well, now young — “man threw us into a death game!”

Sophia turns to glare at her brother. “Are you _fucking_ kidding me? I knew you were going to eventually try to find Phi and use her for SHIFTing purposes, or something along those lines, but _this_?” 

Delta sighs dejectedly. “I didn't ask for this to happen either, Phi, but this it was all part of an elaborate cycle necessary for our birth. In the conditions of the Decision Games were Mom and Dad able — ”

“Don’t you fucking call them Mom and Dad!” Phi snarls at him. “You have no right to! What kind of son are you, anyway? You’ve haunted poor Diana because of some of the decisions she had to make and that you probably Mind Hacked her to make!”

Sigma and Phi both feel satisfaction as Delta’s shoulders slump in regret — he seems genuinely sorry for hurting his mother. “I . . . I’m sorry, Mom — Diana. It was not my intention to scar you like this, at all. This was all necessary to ensure our birth, in which I’d be able to Mind Hack, and Phi would be able to SHIFT. And without those abilities, I couldn’t warn you all about the religious fanatic who would destroy all of mankind, right?”

Diana gives a small, but curt nod, while Sigma feels as if he is reading this off a script, or something of that nature, at least, since he keeps repeating the same words again and again about the fanatic. 

“What?!” Sophia exclaims in shock. “Religious fanatic?! Why have you been hiding this stuff from me, Delta!? I could have helped you!” 

“Phi — well, So _phi_ a — you did help me. You raised little Phi, and that’s all I think I could ask of you.” Phi, Sigma, and Diana seemed puzzled. “Now, I think the time has come for you to explain everything to our family, since they have been in the dark for so long about your identity.”

Phi raises an eyebrow. “ _Our_ family?”

Diana, too, is confused, but Sigma feels his jaw beginning to drop. “P-Phi!?” he cries out in astonishment.

Phi, however, is utterly confused, as she shakes Sigma’s hand off of her shoulder. “What, Sigma?” 

Upon hearing Sigma’s words, Diana begins to realize the truth, too. “No, that can’t be!” Diana is in shock as well. She loosens herself from Sigma’s hold on her and immediately runs over to Sophia, pulling her into an embrace. Sigma, too, takes a step towards Sophia, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, am I missing something? What’s going on!?”

“Tu fui, ego eris,” Delta simply whispers, his eyes meeting Sophia’s, who looks up from Diana’s grip on her and nods back at him. 

“You were right. Quite literally.” She then returns Diana’s hug with equal fervor. “Mother,” she whispers. She turns her body around to smile gently at Sigma as well, placing her hand atop of his hand that rests on his shoulders. “And you’re my father.”

And suddenly, Phi begins to understand. “You have got to be fucking with me.”

Sophia turns back to Phi and grasps her hands. “Phi, my dear, this might be a little difficult to swallow, but . . . when . . . Sigma and Diana?” She looks questioningly to make sure she has gotten their names right, she continues. “After they sent their twin children, Phi and Delta to the transporter, their atomic data was sent to 1904, and then Phi’s was again sent to the future, to 2008.” 

“I’m the Phi whose atomic data was sent to 2008, and you are the Phi from 1904.” The words fall easily from Phi’s lips, no hesitance or shock behind them.

Sophia grins wryly. “I knew I raised a smart girl. Now, let me explain from the beginning.

“We were both transported to 1904, where we were adopted and raised by a researcher in Germany. His wife was assumed to be barren, which is why he was easily able to get away with it. Originally, the researcher was going to take only Delta, and I would be kept in the facility, so that the researchers could send multiple copies of me to different futures and pasts, but the researcher taking Delta didn’t feel it was right to separate us and leave me to be a part of experiments for the transporter. So, they only decided to send my atomic data to 2008, and then the researcher brought us both to his home.

"After a few years, the researcher and his wife were eventually able to have a child, a child they named Left. Regardless of his birth, Left, Delta, and I were loved equally. Our parents never hid from us that we were adopted and found in the transporter, but they never made us feel like we were adopted. The three of us children loved each other as well. Delta doted on Left, and was always so protective of the both of us. He didn’t hide his power of mind reading to the both of us, even though I didn’t feel right to tell Left about the feeling and dreams I had that revealed to me that I had the power to SHIFT. We soon moved to Chicago for our adoptive father to continue his research and were all happy together.

That all changed when Left was found dead. Our parents, though completely shattered, did their best to always keep us happy. Delta, on the other hand” — she looks at the redhead boy with sad eyes — “ was completely shattered by Left’s death. He became so despondent, so silent. I would be the one who had to force him to eat, since he would only eat by my hand. One day, though, something in him changed. He had come to me and angrily told me that Left’s killers paid off the police. We then vowed to find Left’s killers and the officers on the case. I only agreed to it because I wanted my brother to come back from his depression.

We did some investigating for a few years, trying to gather evidence, but we couldn’t come up with much — all we could say for sure was that Left’s killer had to have been the brother of one of his girl friends, and though we had our suspicions on a man, we had no proof to incriminate him. Then, one day, Delta tried to throw himself in front of a train.” Sophia squeezes her eyes shut. “At first, I thought that perhaps he was still distressed by Left’s death . . . but, you were trying to SHIFT, weren’t you, Delta? . . . Did you get to SHIFT, or was it a failed attempt?”

Delta looks away, his sunglasses masking the indescribable emotion in his eyes. “That was in the past, Phi. There’s no point trying to remember it. All that matters is that you saved me from the train.”

She sighs in defeat. “Later that night was when you showed me you could Mind Hack, and I had asked you to not misuse it.” She glowers crossly at her brother. “You asshole, you never responded back to me.”

“Phi, I promise you, that since then, I have not misused my power,” he vows, his face sincere.

Sigma furrows his brows in confusion at his genuineness, while Phi scoffs, which causes Sophia to cross her arms over her chest and further glare at Delta, and then shake her head and continues. 

“The next day after that, Delta disappeared and returned home late in the night. I went to his room to ask him where he had been, but he had all of the evidence we had gathered splayed across the table and spewed some bullshit about purifying the human race,” she mutters scornfully to herself. “By then, I already had started to follow in father’s footsteps, and Delta had decided to be educated somewhere out of state. He barely came to visit after that — maybe once a year.”

Sigma, Diana, and Phi give each other looks. “So, that’s when the bastard was trying to develop Free the Soul, the Myrmidons, and Radical-6?”

Sophia shakes her head in confusion. “I’m not sure about those.”

Delta shakes his head. “No, I found Free the Soul of Y was in 1921. It was just before I had discovered the police’s involvement in Left’s murder case. I had saved a young woman from having her honor snatched away by some seedy, but rich man, who had cornered her in some ally. After that, I had found myself a benefactor of sorts for my vigilance. I still don’t know if the woman I saved was his daughter, or if he was truly impressed by my actions. He immediately recognized my capabilities as an esper, and had asked for my help. In exchange, he would provide me money, aid, and information. I only trusted his information because he was a very affluent man — he called himself Lord Dashiell Gordain from Europe.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Delta tells the story of how Free the Soul of Y was founded, Sophia explains how she found Phi, and Carlos misses all of the shit that just went down.

Sigma is taken aback by his son’s words. “L-Lord Dashiell Gordain . . . ?! He used to hold the Gordain Games!” _Wait till Akane gets a hold of this information . . ._

Delta nods, a hint of a smirk showing on his face. “Yes . . . He had been following me for a while. I was almost a participant for the first of the Gordain Games, but after I saved that woman, he decided to just have me test out some of my esper abilities with Phi and report it all back to him. It started off with transmitting words to add onto the grocery list whenever she left for the market, and then, I tried to converse with her — it was a one-sided conversation, since Phi was a receiver and I was a transmitter — but it appeared to have worked somehow. Gordain used this information to select different people to fight for their lives in the Gordain Games.”

Sophia’s mouth drops open in surprise. “That’s why . . .” She is now lost in thought, most likely recalling all of these ‘experiments.’ 

The young redhead man continues on regardless. “And, before you ask, Free the Soul was a name I had chosen for an extreme, ruthless vigilante group that was not afraid to resort to illegal methods and violence to expose the harsh truths of and eliminate corruption. But Gordain was the one who was mostly in charge of the small organization, since I had to balance between my studies, watching my sister, and avenging Left. He added the ‘of Y’ to the organization name for a number of reasons.

“The Y represented the left eye of Horus, so one reason, he told me, was to honor Left. Another was because in Egyptian mythology, Horus, the god of the sky, his left eye was gorged out. His consort, Hathor, had restored most of his eyes, and when it recovered, he hoped to restore his life by giving the eye to Osiris, his father. This is how the eye came to represent sacrifice, healing, restoration, and protection — all that Gordain claimed that Free the Soul of Y would stand for.” He smirks slyly. “I determined the old bastard was bullshitting me with honoring Left. Free the Soul of Y was simply an anagram for ‘left eye of Horus.’

Anyway, we designed and created robes with the Free the Soul of Y logo we came up with, which were worn by the members as a . . .” — Delta’s eyes furrow as he struggles to find the right term, but he when he settles on a word, his mouth untwists and he nods to himself once in satisfaction — “uniform of sorts, and a way to disguise ourselves.

But, in 1930, the organization would fall out of my hands, and Gordain would go on with his entertainment games under Free the Soul’s name. Those same robes would become a cloak to represent those being sacrificed in the games. He would name me the sole founder of Free the Soul to save himself, in case the law enforcement would catch wind of his actions.” His voice darkens ominously. “After Gordain’s death in 1931, I would be the one to hold the reigns to Free the Soul — and would drop the ‘of Y’ from the title.”

Delta ends his story with a sigh, and Sigma assumes it is possibly because he does not want to go into how he expanded Free the Soul into a group that wanted to create a new world order that would eliminate corrupt humans and purify the world — in a way, it really _was_ an extreme, ruthless vigilante group.

“Um.” Sigma’s hesitant voice breaks the looming silence that was formed. “Akane, one of my co-workers and friends,” he clarifies for Sophia’s sake, “seemed to have implied that the founder of Free the Soul killed Gordain for betraying him?” He raises a questioning eyebrow at Delta.

Delta’s brooding face loses its expression. “I can’t answer that question, Dad,” he answers back softly.

Hearing the word, ‘Dad,’ from Delta tugs at his heart, both in anger and sadness. “Why? . . . Are you afraid to admit to your crimes?” Sigma crosses his arms over his chest and glares at him.

Delta simply shakes his head, his eyes blank behind his shades. “No. I didn’t kill him . . . but who is to say that a different version of myself wouldn’t go on to?”

Sigma sighs wearily. “I suppose, you are right — the alternate realities are endless.” He wants nothing more than to scream at Delta for endangering the lives of his friends and family, but there is an innocent, young air to him that stops Sigma from doing so; maybe his youthful appearance is what makes Sigma hesitate — this Delta is more closer in age with Phi than Sophia. It may be the mind of the Delta that trapped them all in the Decision Game, but the body is of his young, unsuspecting adult son, whose consciousness got swapped with the older, mastermind Delta, and was sacrificed for this bastard’s selfish purposes to extend his lifespan. 

“Now, Sophia, as you were saying?” Delta prompts.

As if she is taken out of a trance, she suddenly gasps, startled. “O-Oh!” She blinks, nodding after a few moments. “Right . . . hmm, I was speaking about how Delta stopped visiting often.” She lets out a sigh. “I began to realize that he might use 2008 Phi for SHIFTing or his own vengeful purposes, since I had always refused to try to jump when he urged me.” She turns to Phi with a sad smile. “Phi, I didn’t want you to become a part of experiments, like I almost had, and I certainly didn’t want my brother getting his hands on you. So, I came to Flagstaff in November 2008 and took you in as my own — you weren’t transported with your brooch, so I gave you my own . . . my time with it was up.” Sophia seems wistful, her eyes glazed over as her thoughtful face ponders.

“Gran, wha — ah, fuck, I’m calling my older self, ‘Gran!’” Phi growls to herself and slaps a palm to her forehead. “Oh, this is going to be difficult,” she grumbles in irritation. “Anyway . . .” She sighs exasperatedly. “Why did you give me your brooch?”

“Calm down, Phi.” Sophia places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a reassuring smile. “You can still call me ‘Gran,’ don’t worry. And, yes, I gave my brooch. I had to. Our mother had given us the brooch, and it wouldn’t have been unfair if you didn’t get it. I already had my time with it.”

Diana, who has not said a single word since Sophia started her story, toys with the caged blue bird music box necklace — a personal favorite of her finds from shopping at antique stores — around her neck, and looks at Delta quizzically. One paradox has been solved, now that Sophia has told Phi that her brooch came from Sophia herself, but what remains is the inconsistency of the two birdcage necklaces, when there should _really_ only be one, if everything is, in fact, an ongoing cycle of sorts. She wants to ask him about his necklace, but Sophia beats her to it.

“Back to the story, though. I did meet, however, another researcher in Flagstaff.”

“Pop . . .” Phi murmurs to herself. "Who is really just my other self's husband."

Sophia beams back and nods. “Yes. He asked for my name, and I lied to him and called myself Sophia. Soon after, we married and moved to California, to start anew with little Phi. I did eventually tell him the truth, though. After that, I continued raising Phi, without letting her know of my true identity, even as people started to assume that she was my own granddaughter. Anyway, we lived peacefully for so many years, and Phi even took an interest in Latin because of the brooch." She smiles fondly at Diana. "Though we were still at peace, I did start to get the feeling that Delta had done something to cause Phi to come home very late on Christmas night . . . and then suddenly talk about joining a Mars Mission stimulation of sorts.”

“And while I was gone at DCOM, you said you’d be visiting your old job in Flagstaff,” Phi adds, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Sophia nods. “And that brings us to here.”

“Then, what happens now?” Diana queries softly.

“Well, one thing is for sure. I’m not going to SHIFT around to find the younger Pop and marry him.”

Sophia chuckles and then smiles wryly. “You and I may be the same person, but we’re from different times, and have undergone different things. Yes, we are similar in personality, but our preferences are most likely not the same . . . and, one more thing. I loved your Pop, but I was never in love with him. I _learned_ to love him over the years as we raised you, but, our marriage was one of convenience, so my love for him was only platonic. Quite honestly, he wasn’t really . . . my type, you could say. Well, actually, there is not really . . . a _male_ that could fit my category, to put it simply. And I’m pretty damn sure that is one thing you and I have in common, Phi,” she says firmly, as she tries to hold back her laughter at Phi’s embarrassed face.

Diana ponders as she takes in Sophia’s words. Since meeting and interacting with Phi, she has always had the feeling that Phi has been into women than men; she wasn’t sure about Sophia, at least, until now.

Phi stays silent, her pale cheeks and nose reddening delicately. “Gran,” she then mumbles, as she suddenly takes interest in her shoes, “shut up, please.”

Sigma, on the other hand, seems stunned by this revelation. Diana resists the urge to laugh and shake her head at him. He would have never guessed it . . .

“What a family reunion." Delta sighs, reminding everyone of his presence, and instantly souring Sigma and Phi’s moods, while Diana is reminded to try to recall that timeline where she was alone with Delta. “Surely, I didn’t think envision it to be something like this.”

Sigma’s watch — thankfully, not the bracelet watch from the Decision Game, but one he found in his cupboard before leaving with Akane and Phi to DCOM — begins to be beep, as it does at the start of every hour. No one needs to check its digital screen to tell that it’s 1 AM.

Phi is about to ask Delta about where he SHIFTed to after Carlos shot him and how the hell he got to this point, but at that moment, Carlos appears through the open entrance, panting as if the wind has been knocked right out of him. 

“Dammit!” he cries out in frustration, leaning on to the nearby wall for support as he breathes in and out heavily. “I told you that shit was going to go down in three days . . . I just didn’t think I’d end up missing it all!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s past midnight, so it has been three days! ;)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this all-new episode of the Klim household family drama! Next chapter, Diana finally remembers the damn ana - uh, I mean, the events that took place after Q-Ending 2.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Delta explains to Carlos that he is a receiver, Diana finally recalls what Delta told her after Q-End 2, Junpei becomes attached to Sean, and Mira and Sean determine what paths they both must take.

_“Dr. Klim?”_

_He looks up from his work, and spins in his office chair to face her. He looks pleased to see her, and it causes a small pause in the circuits in her chest — it would function as a makeshift heart, of sorts; though it is not necessary for her survival, she is grateful he has done whatever he can to make her feel like him, a human._

_“Hello, Luna,” he greets, a smile playing on his lips. “I’m glad you’re here. I needed your input on something I’ve been thinking about installing for you.”_

_There’s a small strand of graying hair that falls over his forehead and Luna can’t help but think how . . . how adorable — is that she can describe it as? — it is._

_Luna tilts her head and smiles widely. “Yes, of course,” she says sweetly in her soft voice. “Please, tell me, Dr. Klim.”_

_He stands up from his seat, beginning to take small steps towards her as he speaks. “I know that I’ve programmed a scheduled sleep mode that you can control, so you can stimulate how humans experience sleep, but it seems I’ve been a bit unfair to you.”_

_“N-No, no! Not at all, Doctor!” She has been nothing but grateful to him for bringing her into existence. There’s nothing more she feels deserving enough to ask from him._

_He smiles in appreciation, but shakes his head, his tall figure suddenly looming over her. “No, Luna. I forgot about a very essential aspect of sleeping humans experience, and that you deserve to experience, as well. So, I’ve decided to install something I call the ‘Electric Sheep’ function onto your hardware.”_

_“Electric Sheep . . . ?”_

.

Delta’s eyes widen in recognition when he sees the man who aimed a gun at him a few days ago.

“Um, hello.” Carlos greets the old woman awkwardly, wondering to himself who she is.

“Hello, there. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but we’ve known each other for no longer than a minute. For all intents and purposes, I’m Phi’s Gran. We will explain to you our real relationship later.”

Carlos, taken aback, nods dumbly. She is direct and frank, just like Phi, he notes. 

“How are you even here, right now, Carlos?”

“I dropped Maria, Junpei, Akane, her brother, Aoi, and their friend, Clover, at the motel — ”

“Clover?” Phi interjects quizzically.

Sigma, too, is shocked. “She is here, too?!”

Carlos nods suspiciously. “You know her, too, huh? Small world. Anyway, I dropped them all off and then drove here.”

Diana is seriously beginning to consider that Carlos is, in fact, a clairvoyant, of sorts. “How did you know to drive here?” 

“Just went with my gut. We can figure out the details later.” He turns to look at the 20-year-old man standing by himself on the side. “Who are you?” Perhaps, he is a relative of Diana or Phi. But with the way their stance is towards him, Carlos is inclined to believe that maybe he is not a favorite family member. 

“Me?” His face is blank as he folds his arms. “I’m Zero . . . I’m Delta. How could you forget so easily, Carlos?”

Well, damn, Carlos wasn’t far off the mark. “Zero!?” He narrows his eyes. “Are you fucking with me!? You SHIFTed to your younger years and transported _here_!?” 

Delta stares back at him with blank eyes. “You are the one who shot me.” His voice is almost accusatory, which bewilders Carlos. 

“W-Well, yeah, of course, I did!” he replies defensively. “Isn’t that what you wanted? So, you could SHIFT?”

Delta doesn’t answer his question. Instead, he takes in Carlos’s words as if he is listening to new pieces of information and then asks back, “Why did you shoot me, Carlos? Why would you do what I wanted if I am supposed to be the villain, here?” 

“I don’t know, okay? I already said that I just went with my gut!” he shouts back in exasperation.

“No, that’s not quite true . . . I’ll tell you what has been going on. You are one who can receive information across the morphogenetic field, Carlos. I’ve been transmitting information to you through the morphic fieldset. That is how you knew to shoot me. That is how you knew about the Grand Canyon, and that is why you’re here in this research facility, at this very moment. Think of my actions as a form of one-sided telepathy.”

“I’m . . . a receiver?”

Delta nods, pleased. “Exactly. Your teammate, Junpei Tenmyouji, is a receiver, as well, though he has once transmitted information to Akane Kurashiki, who had been transmitting information to him, to save her life. They both will be able to expand your knowledge on transmitter and receivers.”

Sigma already knows this story, but this is new to Diana, Phi, and, especially, Carlos. “W-What? Junpei and Akane?” 

Delta’s eyes close as takes on a look of deep concentration, as if he is struggling to recall something, or is just trying to determine his next words very carefully. “Ask them about the Second Nonary Game . . . and ask Junpei Tenmyouji about how ‘truth had gone.’”

The moment Diana hears him utters those last three words, she lets out a gasp. Suddenly, it feels as if everything has fallen into place.

 _“Truth had gone” if sine dihe — when I lied to Delta, of wry hog when wrenched._ The memory of seeing the bloody red words on the wall of the lounge is so clear, as if it was never out of reach in the first place, just clouded in her mind.

“I remember! I remember!” Diana cries out, her eyes glazing over, as she recalls the timeline. Her fingers clutch tightly around Sigma’s wrist. “I remember what happened in the timeline!”

“Diana?!” 

“There are so still so many paradoxes that we don’t know how they are solved, Sigma. A-And, and, the fanatic! Oh, we have to solve the final anagram!”

While Carlos, Sigma, and Phi attend to Diana, asking her what she recalls, Sophia, who is slightly confused, turns to look at her brother, knowing he has some hand in whatever is going on. 

Delta finally opens his eyes as a small, but satisfied smile spreads across his face. “Then, I believe my work here is done. I shall take my leave.”

Upon hearing his words, the others immediately go silent and silently stare at him. 

“Where the fuck are you going, you bastard? I’m not through with you, yet!” Phi punches her fist to her palm threateningly, but Delta just shakes his head. 

“You will have to save it for another time. For now, I have to track down that fanatic, and so do you all. This won’t be the last time we meet,” he assures, before exhaling dejectedly as he walks towards the old woman. 

“Phi,” he murmurs in parting. Silent tears stream down Sophia’s cheeks when he leans down to kiss her on the forehead. She grips onto his biceps tightly, which infuriates Phi.

“Where will you go, Delta?” she asks in a low whisper.

His hand ruffles her wispy white hair. “Do not worry about that, sister.” 

Delta then steps away from her to take a few towards Phi, but his face immediately falls as he sees her move back, her face scrunched into an angry scowl. “Don’t you fucking come near me,” she snarls wrathfully, pointing her index finger towards him in warning. 

He looks away from her with a frown, and then gives Diana, Carlos, and Sigma a lasting look before turning on his heels and strolling towards the exit.

.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah!” Sean jumps in his seat on the couch, startled by the voice. He twists his body to see his familiar black t-shirt and then looks up to meet his face. “Oh, hey, Junpei. When did you come?”

“Hey, Sean. Just not too long ago.” He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly as he walks around the sofa to stand closer to Sean. “Um, Carlos dropped us off and, as we were getting our room keys, I saw you sitting here by yourself.”

“Oh, yeah . . . I was just thinking.”

Junpei raises an eyebrow. “Thinking? Not about if you’re going with Sigma and Diana or Eric and Mira, are you?”

Sean nods, as Junpei takes a seat on the coffee table in front of him. “Actually, yeah, I am, but I guess I don’t have to worry too much. I have another day or two until we go to the Grand Canyon . . . right?” He looks at Junpei, and though he has no face, Junpei can tell the look he is trying to give is questioning. 

“Um, about that . . . Carlos said we may not be going to the Grand Canyon, anymore.” He grimaces sheepishly, looking away from Sean.

“W-What?!” Sean exclaims, shifting anxiously in his seat. “Why?!”

Junpei sighs. “I don’t know myself. All I know is that the bast — ” He stops himself, his eyes sliding over to Sean’s small frame. “Um, all I know is that the jerk hasn’t returned, yet, from parking the car.”

“No, no!” he cries out frantically, his hands flying to his helmet. “I haven’t made my decision, yet! I . . . I need more time!”

“Hey, hey!” Junpei scoots up the table to get closer to the robot child, and places his hands on his small shoulders. “Sean, calm down! It’s going to be okay, whatever you choose.” 

“But Junpei, I don’t want to rush my decision!”

“You won’t, Sean,” he assures firmly, squeezing his shoulders gently, a strange, paternal feeling overcoming him as he comforts Sean. “All you need to do is to think about what is best for you, and the decision will come easily. And you don’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings, so don't take that into account.”

“W-What’s . . . best for me?” His voice is hesitant, but he is also bemused.

Junpei nods. “Right. Go with the person that you feel will benefit you more. Who will benefit you more? Sigma, or Mira and Eric?”

_Or me._

Junpei is stunned by the sudden thought that has popped into his mind. _Where the hell did that come from? . . . Me taking in Sean? Would Akane even be okay with that? Hell, would I even be okay with that?_ Apparently, yes, since the thought did come in his mind.

Suddenly, he can’t help but entertain the thought of Sean living with him and Akane. Sure, he barely knows Sean, and it would be awkward for the first few days, but there is this strange pull that draws Junpei to him, emotionally, that he knows would probably remove that awkwardness very quickly.

“The one who will benefit me more, huh . . . ?” Sean is lost deep in thought, but so is Junpei.

_I can’t fix him like Sigma can, but I can certainly take care of him . . ._

“Hmm,” he hums aloud as his eyebrows furrow in confusion, and wonders to himself.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, um . . .” Junpei wracks his mind for some explanation, “you’ve been out in the lobby for a long while, but people haven’t asked you about your helmet, yet.”

Sean shakes said helmet in question. “Oh, I’ve been in the corner of the lounge area all this time. I think the guy at the front desk was the only one who saw me, but he probably thought he was too tired and was becoming delirious.” He giggles to himself, and Junpei joins in with a quiet chuckle, his heart warming at the sound of Sean’s childish laughter. 

.

Indecisive is not a trait Mira has ever associated herself with. She has always preferred raspberry sorbet, her favorite color has always been red, and she never had an issue when choosing her next victim whose heart she wanted to touch. Even during the Decision Games, in whatever input she gave Sean for a decision, she stuck to her choice, unlike him or Eric. She has always been a direct, decisive person, and that was something she has always loved about herself.

But tonight, as she paces back and forth in front of her and Eric’s bed, she wavers between decisions, unable to understand which decision would lead to the better outcome. 

It is soon that she finds herself walking to the lobby. She ignores the soft, but weary greeting of the employee at the front desk, and immediately plops down on a sofa in the corner of the lounge area.

“Can’t get any sleep?” she hears Sean’s rasping voice asks from beside her.

Mira shrugs nonchalantly, unfazed by his sudden presence — or was he already there when she took a seat? She is quite not sure. “I can say the same for you.” 

“Yeah, but I’m physically incapable of being able to sleep. You can, though,” he points out. 

She frowns, folding her arms over her chest. “There are thoughts that keep me up at night — that don’t let me sleep. Lately, my dreams haven’t been too pleasant, either.” 

“Your dreams, huh? . . . How _does_ it feel to dream? And what do you dream about, Mira?” 

Mira sighs. “My dreams . . . my dreams are about things that happened and that may have happened in the Decision Game. I dream about killing Eric in the Study and feeling his heart and his love for me. I dream about all of these feelings that I don’t understand and can’t describe,” she tells him honestly.

“It’s hard for me to understand, since I’m not exactly sure how it feels to be human, but are dreams very lifelike?” he asks curiously, almost in the way a child would ask — though, for all intents and purposes, Sean is a robot child. “Some of these dreams stem from your subconscious, right? Maybe, that’s why . . .” he trails off, her eyes meeting the camera lenses of his helmet briefly.

She shrugs. “Maybe.” A few minutes pass by as they sit in silence, until Sean decides to tell her what has been on his mind. 

“I need to tell you something important,” he begins softly, but Mira’s ears catch the hesitance in his croaky voice. 

“So, tell me,” she coaxes gently.

Sean looks at his socks, his fingers tracing around the power button design on one of them. “I’m scared to . . . ,” he admits quietly, toying with his fingers nervously.

Mira genuinely frowns, probably for the first time ever (as, since leaving the Nevada Test Site, she hasn’t had to fake any emotions once, which is exhilarating but also frightening to her); the sting of rejection is unfamiliar and evokes feelings of sadness. “Why? I won’t hurt you or anything. Go on." 

He shakes his spherical helmet. “I know that you won’t hurt me. But you’ll get angry.”

She is beginning to feel impatient. She rolls her eyes as she assures, “Sean, I won’t. Just tell me, please.”

“Um, well, I think . . . I’m going to stay with Sigma after he outfits a new face on me.”

“Oh.” Mira lets out a slight sigh as her shoulders slump, a part of her chest suddenly beginning to feel hollow. “That’s . . . good. You’ll be able to learn about yourself if you stay with Sigma.”

“I’m sorry, Mira.” She shakes it off, urging him not to feel guilty, but he continues, “I’ll visit as much as I can . . . and I’ll call you guys.”

Mira nods but stay silent. “Sean?” she then calls out.

He looks up at her. “Yeah, Mira?” 

“You want to experience what it’s like to be human, right?”

He nods eagerly.

“Then ask Sigma to read the book, _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_ , by Phillip K. Dick.” Her passion for reading the quirky, peculiar works has come in handy. “See that he installs some sort of sleep mode with a dreaming function in you. It will benefit you a lot, I'm certain.”

There was that word again. _Benefit_. Junpei said it, and now Mira is saying it, too. Maybe there is something to the concept of benefit than Sean has thought.

“Mira . . .” Sean’s voice is full of awe, and if he was physically capable of crying, he would.

“Don’t forget about us, kid.”

Mira suddenly is surprised to find herself engulfed in a tight hug. “M-M-Mira,” Sean starts to sob into her stomach, “How did you think that I wouldn’t remember you?!”

His large helmet feels slightly unnatural against her, but she doesn’t care. She embraces him back with equal fervor, afraid to let go, afraid of the feelings that are surfacing — are these feelings the kind that her mother feels when it comes to Mira? The strange, not-exactly-maternal feelings aside, in just a couple of days, she has gotten surprisingly close to Sean. She wonders briefly if it’s because he’s heartless, but then banishes the thought. She still feels confused with her emotions regarding Eric, and his feelings towards her, but she does feel much closer to him than she did before the Decision Game.

Mira feels her throat suddenly tighten. Though she does not want to leave, she knows it has to be done for Sean’s sake, and for hers and Eric’s sakes.

Suddenly, the foggy clouds of indecision have cleared; Mira’s and Sean’s paths are now clear. They both know what decisions they must take now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, you’re left confused and full of questions. You’re supposed to be - it’s part of the plan, don't worry. Unless you’re willing to take it all upon yourself and try to guess and determine the meaning of that phrase, all will be answered soon enough, including some paradoxes. (I totally recommend http://boulter.com/anagram/ if you do, though! I can't promise you'll be able to figure any of it out, but it was the website I used to make that awful, torturous phrase.) ;)
> 
> Also, a HUGE thank you to everyone for reading, leaving kudos, and/or commenting! It means the world to me that you all take time out of your day for my little fic and that you enjoy reading it!! c:


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone tries to decipher what Delta had presented to Diana, and Sophia tries to convey to Phi what kind of person Delta is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character Death by suicide ahead (in the flashback, not in present time).

_Her widened eyes take in the bloody corpse of Eric, and the strangely white liquid that covers Sean’s smoking one._ No . . . they can’t be dead _, she mentally cries to herself. She wants to move her eyes away from their bodies, but knows that if she does, her eyes will immediately fall onto the other corpse beside them._

Oh, Sigma! _Diana can’t bear to look at his dead body, at all, so she clenches her eyes shut. Tears fill her eyes as she thinks about the strangely fast, bubbling feelings she has harbored towards him. Since she meeting him at DCOM, and since he had made it a point to always avoid her during the conjunction, she had developed a bit of a crush on him. Now, however, she is certain she has been falling for him. She feels bounded to him by emotions she doesn’t recall developing slowly — they’ve just always been there, since she has met him, only increasing in intensity._

_And now . . . he’s dead._

_“Mom . . .” The word sounds like a reverent prayer falling off of Sigma’s killer’s lips._

_Diana’s eyes fly open and whip to the left to meet Delta’s blank face. Her hands are in lightly clenched into fists that hover near her face, as she trembles in fear. “Y-You . . . you controlled Eric to shoot himself and the others,” she stammers out, her lips quivering as she speaks. She intended to shout at him, ask him why he kept her alive and why he is calling her 'Mom,' but she somehow can’t find herself to do so._

_“Yes.” His voice is even and calm, completely unfazed by what has just occurred. “I Mind Hacked Eric.”_

_She tries her best to keep a poker face and suppress any cries that threaten to come out of her. “Mind Hack . . . ?”_

_“Yes,” he answers again, adjusting those awfully red glasses of his, “I can control someone’s actions by Mind Hacking them. It also gives me the ability to read minds. I would show you my Mind Hacking, but it does not feel right to control you, now, Mom. It — ”_

_“Mom!?” she shouts, her hands now falling to her sides. “Why do you keep on calling me that!? I’m not your mom! I have not given birth to you, and you’re certainly too old to be my son!” Her voice is stained with disbelief. Suddenly, she shakes her head. “No . . . Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. Just tell me why.”_

_“There are many why’s that I am sure you’d like for me to answer. Which answer do you seek?”_

_Diana’s hands ball into fists once more, though this time, they tighten to the point where her nails dig into her palms. “W-Why would you kill Sigma, too, Delta!?” she shrieks, feeling her hoarse voice tear through her throat. “What did he or any of the others do to you!?”_

_Delta only sighs in remorse. “Life is simply unfair; though, unfortunate, it was necessary.” He speaks slowly, deliberately. “Sean and Eric have no purpose left to fulfill in this timeline. And as for Sigma . . . he, and Phi, too, are experienced SHIFTers; you, on the other hand, need to awaken your true powers.”_

_“SHIFTers . . .?” she mutters to herself in confusion, recalling that Carlos and Sigma mentioned the same thing earlier._

_He does not feel the need to clarify and continues on with his explanation. “That is why I had Eric kill Sigma — because, without him, you’re on the edge, high-strung. It will allow for your SHIFT abilities to strengthen.”_

_“No . . .” She feels her knees beginning to wobble. “Y-You . . . you’re a monster!” she cries, sobs wracking her body. Her legs finally collapse beneath her as she falls beside Sigma’s corpse._

_She sees Delta wince — and though it satisfies her, a part of her wants to take back the statement — but then, he immediately retreats back to blankly staring at her. “You’re right. I am a monster. I have become a monster, but it’s a small price to pay for the world to be saved and for Delta to have his family.”_

_She stops her weeping and sniffs. “W-What? What do you mean?”_

_“Do not think it didn’t pain me to shoot Sigma or have the three of you executed from the vote at 13:30 in this timeline. You are all my family, too.”_

_Diana’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Are you disillusioned? We’re not your family!” she denies insistently, as she roughly wipes her tears away, refusing to meet his piercing gaze._

_He crouches down beside her. “I call you ‘Mom,’” he murmurs softly, his voice crooning, “but you don’t recall giving birth to me . . . doesn’t that raise a question in your mind? If I claim that you are my mother, then who is my father?”_

_Diana’s blue eyes that were narrowed into slits suddenly fly open in shock. “N-No . . . it can’t be!”_

_“Indeed.” He nods in confirmation. “Sigma is my father . . . and Phi is my twin sister,” he states matter-of-factly._

_She insistently shakes her head, refusing to accept his words. “No! No! That’s impossible. None of the ages don’t match up!” she protests, her outburst echoing in the computer dome._

_Delta still maintains his poker face as he speaks. “This is all a story for another time. All I can tell you know is that it is, in fact, possible, but only if you take the transporter into account.”_

The transporter? _Diana thinks in surprise to herself. Suddenly, she feels a lost memory — maybe not of this history, but of an alternate history — tugging on the strings of her mind. What is so important about the transporter that Diana can’t recall? Is it possible that is Delta right in his twisted assertion that she and Sigma are his and Phi’s parents? There_ is _a version of them left behind when they transported their atomic data here. Perhaps —_

_“I know you have questions,” he acknowledges softly, interrupting her train of thought, “but, right now, we have more pressing matters to attend. Come with me. I must show you something.” He offers her a hand. She refuses to hold it, stumbling over her skirt as she tries to stand up without his assistance. Silently, he leads her to the lounge._

_Diana immediately notices a change upon entering the big, wide room. Gone is the anagram Diana recalls seeing on the wall in the alleged Ward D, “When a curious hate oozes calamity.” In its place, in the same crimson pain, are new words._

“Truth had gone” if sine dihe — when I lied to delta, of wry hog when wrenched.

_Diana blinks. “I-Is that . . . another anagram?”_

_“You’d be correct. It’s the final anagram of the Decision Game.” Delta takes a step towards her. “A few minutes ago, when I told you that I had no more use for this history, I lied. There was one more thing I had to do, which I have now done . . . this anagram that I just have shown you will help to track down the religious fanatic.”_

_“Fanatic? What fanatic?!”_

_“A religious fanatic who will spark a nuclear war and ultimately destroy the lives of 8 billion people — all of humanity.” He speaks unwaveringly, without blinking, or showing any sign of fear or surprise. “My motives to release Radical-6 are not complex once you understand this: having Radical-6 kill 6 billion people, with a 75 percent chance that one of those 6 billion is the fanatic, is a much better outcome than having all of humanity wiped out.”_

_“No!” Diana gasps, her hand immediately shooting up hover over her mouth. “Isn’t there another way to stop the fanatic that doesn’t involve all of those lives?!”_

_Since his frame is taller then hers, Delta looks down to smile slyly at her. “I’m glad you asked.” His face then grows solemn. “Listen to me very carefully,” he starts, as he places his hands on top of Diana’s shoulders. Even through her sweater, she can feel how icy cold his palms are. “The timeline in which you win the Decision Game will always be the timeline where Radical-6 will not be released, and the fanatic roams free. You must remember this anagram and solve it, as it will hint at the his or her whereabouts.”_

_Diana yanks his hands off her shoulders, as her eyes blaze furiously. “If you knew where to find the fanatic this whole time” — her voice rises as she speaks — “then what was the point of releasing Radical-6 in the other timelines?!” she shouts, taking a few steps away from him as her fists clench at her sides for the final time. “Why can’t you figure it out!?”_

_Delta turns away from her as his face darkens. “I did not know, Mom. I’ve tried to solve it myself, but I cannot determine the meaning behind it,” he confesses, as he fidgets nervously — it makes Diana wonder if it’s because she unnerves him in the way a scolding mother would, or if he just doesn’t like the idea of the unknown, with the anagram. “This came from the transporter on December 30th, the day before you were all brought here. I assume it has come from myself in the future where we stop the fanatic.”_

_She gulped. “But, what does this all have to do with me?” she quavered, her tone of voice demanding but also resigned. “What am I to do with this information if you say that timeline leads to a dead end?!”_

_“You are right,” he concedes with a sigh. “In this timeline, you can do nothing, really. All I ask of you is to remember this information, and what has just transpired in this timeline, when the time comes.”_

_“How will I know when that time comes?! What if I can’t remember anything?!”_

_“Forgetting is simply not an option,” he argues softly. “I will come to help you remember, as well, but you cannot forget this timeline. Mom, you must understand. The lives of 6 billion rest in your hands.”_

_Diana suddenly feels breathless as her throat feels itself tightening. “No . . . not 6,” she weeps softly, with a cracking voice. “8 billion. The lives of 8 billion people.”_

_“I suppose you are right . . . if something goes wrong, then all of the human race will perish.” Delta places his hand hesitantly back on her shoulder as his face turns grim. “But rest assured, if it does, then it is my responsibility,” he says firmly, his eyes piercing into hers. “You have no need to worry or feel guilty if it all does not work it out, you understand me?”_

_And with that, Diana’s face crumples — she can no longer keep the angry front she has been putting up in front of Delta all of this time. “Y-You’re going to take responsibility for my inability to remember?! Why?!” she shrieks tearfully. “ . . . Why are you even doing all of this in the first place? How did you know to even do this?”_

_Delta sighs and shakes his head — as if_ he _is the parent and_ she _is the child. “I told you, I’m doing this to save the world. I was told that I would have to do all of this to ensure my family could live in a happy future.”_

 _He was doing this all for her, Sigma, and Phi? But Sigma and Phi are dead! How are they all supposed to live happily? And then Diana remembers what he said about SHIFTing . . . it will definitely come into play somehow._

_She looks up to him and sniffles, feelings of maternity and sadness washing over her as she reaches up to clutch his hand on her shoulder. “Who . . . who left such a heavy burden on you, Delta? And why you?” Why does it have to be her son?_

_The grin he flashes her is sardonic and sad. “Like I said, life is simply unfair. I only say it so often because I’ve lived through its injustice.” His smile turns genuinely happy as he gives her hand a gentle squeeze, and then lets it go, taking a few steps back._

_She wants to hug him, but also wants to walk away from him wordlessly — instead of acting on any of her feelings, she chooses to quietly stand still._

_A few minutes pass in silence — for Diana, those moments are extremely uncomfortable. “What happens now?” she then questions, in a voice that has now lost life and purpose._

_“The X-Door is open — Sean managed to open it before Eric shot him,” he informs her in a monotone. “You may choose to leave, or stay in this facility; you are free to do whatever you see fit.” He turns away, beginning to walk towards the hallway to the Quantum Computer Done. “My work here is done. I see no more use for this timeline.”_

_Diana, on her own accord, follows him into the dome. She wants to ask him what will he do now, but before she opens her mouth, her eyes catch the shotgun lying next to Eric on the ground. Beguiled, she kneels down to pick up the gun._

I see no more use for this timeline _, his words echo her mind._

_With a newfound determination, she brings the weapon’s muzzle to her chin, exactly as Delta Mind Hacked Eric to do. As she pulls the trigger, she feels her consciousness yank itself out of her body, and hears his voice cry in agony._

_“Mom!”_

. 

“Diana’s right. It’s an anagram,” Phi declares, as she places her hands on her hips, squinting at the scrap of paper Diana has written on.

It’s 3AM in the morning, but no one can find the will to sleep, with the exception of Sophia, who is sleeping in Phi’s room. As of now, everyone else has gathered in Carlos and Maria’s room. Diana sits at the long desk, twiddling a pen between her fingers, and biting her bottom lip nervously. Sigma and Phi stand on either side of her, trying to decipher the anagram she has written on the notepad provided by the motel. Mira sits on Carlos’s bed with Sean and Aoi, while Maria, Carlos, and Junpei sit on her bed. Eric broodingly stands in the corner closest to the door by himself.

Their group has grown from ten people to fourteen.

“Are you positive, Phi? The way this was written . . . it can also be a hidden message.”

“Of course, I’m absolutely certain of it. Diana wrote ‘sine dihe,’ here, but it’s actually spelled, ‘sine die,’ without that ‘h.’” Her eyes flit to Sigma’s. “In the timeline of the AB Project, when Sigma had to prepare the anagrams, he misspelled a word on purpose in one of them. The anagram was, ‘ _Memento Mori, if the nineth lion ate the sun.’_ The word ‘nineth’ had an unnecessary ‘e’ wedged between the ‘n’ and the ‘t.’ He had done this because an ‘e’ was left over after he made the anagram.”

“So, you’re saying that Delta did the same . . .?”

“Like father, like son, then,” Mira points out with a wry smirk.

“And what does ‘sine die’ even mean?” Maria wonders softly. Her voice holds a childlike innocence — after all, she was not even a teenager when she fell into the coma. So, Phi has to remember she is speaking to a woman with the mentality of a pre-teen.

She wracks her brain to phrase the words a little simply, but not in a way that would make Maria feel uneducated, and then speaks. “It is Latin for ‘without a day specified for a future meeting,’” she informs. “Usually, they use the phrase when adjourning court.”

“B-But, but, ‘Truth had gone!’” Junpei suddenly exclaims, slamming his palm against the desk in front of him. He looks at Clover and then his fiancée, who sits with Clover on the couch, with crazed, desperate eyes. “Akane, ‘Truth had gone!’ How the fuck did he know that!?” Carlos winces a bit at Junpei’s use of the word, “fuck,” and resists the urge to cover Maria’s innocent ears, but she looks pleased to hear that no one is holding back on her account.

“Is he maybe omniscient?” Clover probes. 

Akane, who has now walked over to Junpei, to sighs wearily. “I . . . I-I don’t know.” Her fingers run through Junpei’s hair in comfort, trying to calm him.

Carlos frowns in thought. “He told me to ask you guys about that and the Second Nonary Game.”

Aoi scoffs as he plops down on the couch next to Clover — he was starting to feel uneasy sitting near the Heart Ripper. “That fucker is probably trying to just rub in our faces that he knows everything.”

“Wait, guys,” Diana interrupts. “Can you please explain the Second Nonary Game to us, please? If Delta mentioned it, it has to be of relevance, somehow, right?”

So, Aoi, Clover, Akane, and Junpei quickly explain the Second Nonary Game to him and the others. They talk about its purpose and quickly also talk about why the First Nonary Game was integral to its cause. They also describe how the morphogenetic field was important played a big role in both games, and how Junpei was able to save Akane’s life. 

“As for ‘Truth had gone,’” Akane begins to explain, “it was a clue I transmitted to Junpei towards the end of the game, so that he could ultimately open the coffin Clover’s brother, Light, was in, and get past the number 9 door.” 

. 

It is nearly dawn when everyone returns to his or her own rooms. The only reason why they decided to leave in the first place is because Eric claimed that talking about the Second Nonary Game is getting them no where and gruffly declared that he didn’t want to listen to this bullshit anymore, and was going to bed, urging Sean to come with him. Carlos — after seeing Maria sneak in a yawn, too — suggested then that everyone should try to get some sleep and reconvene for brunch.

Phi quietly crawls into the bed her older self occupies, careful not to jostle her awake. She breathes a sigh of relief when she successfully curls up under the covers without disturbing her grandmother, and closes her eyes to try to sleep. 

“I was beginning to wonder if you intended to sleep at all tonight.”

Phi’s eyes fly open, and she shifts her head to make out her Gran’s face in the slight light of the sunrise. “You haven’t slept?”

Sophia sighs. “After worrying for so many sleepless nights about Delta having a hand in your sudden decision to participate in that Mars Mission, how do you expect me to fall back into the routine of sleeping so easily?” she whispers back hoarsely.

Phi frowns back. “I was meaning to ask you about him, actually. I know that you grew up with him and all, but don’t you realize how horrible he has become? He trapped us in an underground bomb shelter. You even just said it yourself: you were worried that Delta would come after me and use me for my SHIFTing.”

Sophia nods steadily, though a little bewildered by what Phi is trying to prove. “Yes, I understand, Phi. You told me all of this already in the car ride here. What he has done is horrible.”

Phi wrenches up from the bed and twists her body so she can reach for the lamp’s switch. Light illuminates the room as she turns to look at Sophia’s — who also sits up from her sleeping position — composed face. “If you understand, then why were you being so nice to him?!” she demands angrily.

“Well,” Sophia starts slowly, “why would Delta transport here after SHIFTing if his job was done?”

Phi’s nostrils flare. “Because he’s a selfish bastard who wants to continue living for as long as possible, especially now, since we’re all working to eliminate that fanatic!”

“Phi,” Sophia scolds, and suddenly, it feels so strange to Phi — she is being reprimanded by her older self. “Come on, you are more than capable enough to come up with something smarter and more sensible than that. Think again, Phi, and think reasonably . . . If he were being selfish, he would have transported further into the future, where you all would have already tracked down and stopped the fanatic — but he didn’t.”

Phi stays silent.

Sophia continues on. “Actually, it might just be that it’s because he appeared tonight in his younger form, but seeing and talking to him again reminded me of the Delta I loved and grew up with. He may be a bit of an asshole, but he’s not evil, Phi. His thinking has just always been too extensive for the ordinary mind to grasp, since it transcends their way of thinking.”

“Say what you want, but I _won’t_ forgive him for what he put Sigma and Diana through. Especially Diana.” Phi grits her teeth and balls her hands into fists at the explicable rage she feels towards Delta.

Sophia sighs. “He believes that sacrifices are required for the greater good. In this case, the biggest sacrifices affecting the both of their mental states. So, obviously, I don’t expect you or them to forgive him. Hell, I am very pissed at him for trapping you all in the Decision Game. I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive him for that, either, but, all I ask is for you to understand him.”

“Hmph.” Phi crosses her arms over her chest and looks away. “Not all of us grew up with him, so we can’t really understand him.”

“Try,” Sophia urges softly, as she grasps Phi’s hand and squeezes it gently. “He's your brother, too, you know. Now, get some rest, Phi, and think about what I’ve said, please.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, I’m so glad this chapter is over with! Coming up with that anagram was hellish, in all honesty. And, no, don’t worry, I won’t make you go off and try to solve it yourselves . . . well, I mean you can if you would really like to, but all will be revealed in a few chapters!
> 
> Also, I don't know if any of you have caught a... misunderstanding, or inconsistency, of sorts, in this chapter, that a character does not realize and corrects. If you can figure out what the problem is, you can fill in the big holes of some of the explanations that have been presented thus far in the fic. ;)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sean informs Sigma of his decision, and Sigma asks something of Diana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter, simpler, sweeter chapter to break away from the madness that is the epilogue.

As Sigma watches the sun rising from the horizon, and hears the song of the morning lark, he sighs to himself. While Diana sleeps in their bed, he thinks about the events from the past few hours.

Tonight was such an overwhelming night — new discoveries, new people, and new theories. He can’t even think about where to begin. Well, maybe he can. He was very suspicious of Phi’s behavior from the moment after they finished eating dinner at the Indian restaurant the other night. When they reached the hotel, Sigma had the mind to realize that something was very wrong, and that Phi was more than likely to head out somewhere after everyone returned to their respective rooms. He was ready to go out and follow her when she left her room at 10:30PM sharp, but Diana realized that he was leaving and insistent on joining him — especially after realizing he was going after Phi.

Of course, the stubborn girl travelled to the research center by foot, since it was 2 miles away from their motel, but realized halfway through that she was being followed. Sigma and Diana decided then to confront her. Phi, astonished to have been caught by her parents, urged them to return to the hotel, but Sigma and Diana were determined to find out what was going on. After much persuasion, they managed to get Phi to spill the beans: the woman that raised her was in this area, and she was scared that since the Grand Canyon was only an hour away, Delta or his Free the Soul minions might try to do something to her, just to get to Phi.

That old woman turned out to be the Phi transported with Delta, before they transported Phi again into 2008, too . . .

A small rasp at the door startles Sigma out of his thoughts. He slides the curtain closed, and with a yawn, he stretches his body. Clad in only sweatpants, he slogs to their motel door. 

He expects to see Sophia behind the door, since a talk between her and Diana and Sigma is in order, but when Sigma opens the door, he is surprised to see Sean standing in front of him instead. 

“Sean . . . Hey. What brings you here?”

“Sigma, I . . .” He bows his helmet down, as he hesitates in speaking. 

And then it hits Sigma. “Have you given any thought to my offer, Sean?” he asks knowingly.

Sean nods, almost apologetically. “I did . . . I’m sorry, Sigma, but I have to go back to Eric and Mira after you create a replacement for my helmet.” His croaky voice is sad, but firm.

Sigma sighs in resignation, crossing his arms over his bare chest and leaning against the doorway. “That’s unfortunate to hear, but, it is as I expected, then . . . ”

“P-Please, don’t feel offended. I actually told Mira last night that I was going to stay with you, because that’s what I thought I was going to do. But when I told Mira last night, I realized that she, and Eric . . . they both care for me and love me.”

Sigma chuckles. “Relax, Sean. I’m not offended or mad,” he assures with a smile, resting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Yes, I am a little sad, but I had the feeling you wouldn’t be able to separate from Eric and Mira.”

He bows his helmet down. “I . . . I don’t even know how well I’ll be able to stay away from them for the time you create my head. During the Decision Game I became so attached to them, even if they are a little crazy — but Mira’s getting better, and, I think, Eric’s getting calmer, even though Mira was suggesting to send him to a doctor to talk about his PTSD — ” He stops suddenly, as if he revealed more than he was supposed to.

“Anyway, Mira was telling me to ask you to read the book, _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_ , and wanted me to ask you if you could put in a sleep mode function with some sort of dreaming function, so I could feel as close to human as possible. That’s when I realized I can’t leave her, or even Eric, who cares for me so much.” He recalls their first night in Flagstaff, when Eric was reluctant to leave Sean alone in the RV with a fond smile, but then also remembers Sigma also offering to do the same. “N-Not that you don’t care for me either!” he adds quickly. “I’d love for you to teach me all that you can about GAULEMs and ABT while you fix me up! Oh, n-not that it’s the only reason I want to come with you! I really am excited to come with you, even if I’m going to have to leave you after everything is done.”

Sigma smiles encouragingly, squeezing softly and then releasing his hold on Sean’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Sean, I know what you are trying to tell me. I respect and fully understand your decision.” 

Sean makes a sound that seems to be a relieved sigh — Sigma gets this idea since the boy’s shoulder slump in relief. “Thank you so much for understanding, Sigma. I’m really grateful to you, for everything, really . . . Anyway, I should probably go back to my room. It’s morning, and you have to sleep." 

He nods, a smile stretching across his face. “Okay. I’ll see you later, then . . . And, Sean?”

“Yeah?”

“Luna, my GAULEM, had a function I installed called ‘Electric Sheep.’ It was a dreaming function that would activate when she went into sleep mode. So, like Mira suggested, I can create the function for you, too.”

.

The bed slightly dips as Sigma lies back in the bed, a feeling a weariness suddenly overtaking him. He feels himself being pulled into the sensation of sleep — growing drowsy, tired, sleepy . . .

“What was that about?” a soft voice questions in the darkness.

Surprised, Sigma jolts awake, a startled gasp escaping his lips.

“Oh, sorry,” Diana apologizes in a breathless, but sheepish whisper, her hand flying to pat his head gently. “I didn’t realize you were already falling asleep . . . Shh, go back to sleep.”

He shakes his head slowly. “N-No, it’s fine. I don’t think I would have stayed in drowsy state for long, regardless. He shifts his body towards Diana, whose azure eyes are wide open. “You haven’t fallen asleep, yet?” he questions, moving closer to her. He burrows his face into the crook of her neck, placing a kiss at the skin there, as she smoothens out his hair with her hand — she loves to revels in its softness.

“I can’t,” she almost mouths back, her voice lower than a small whisper. “You still haven’t answered my question.” 

Sigma sighs sadly and pulls himself away from Diana, returning to lie on his side of the bed. “Sean . . . he came here to tell me that as much as he would love to stay with me and help me with my research, after I attach his head, he needs to go back to Eric and Mira.”

“So, understandably, you’re upset that he can’t stay with you permanently . . .” she finishes, reaching for his hand between them. With her free hand, she brushes her thumb across his forehead, her eyes following its path.

Sigma feels as if his worries has dispelled away by her touch. “Yes, I am,” he tells her honestly, closing his eyes briefly as her finger trails lower.

Diana’s eyes meet his. “I know you want Sean to stay with you, but you can’t fill the void left by Kyle or Luna . . . and you can’t switch out Delta for Sean,” she reasons in a whisper, her finger slowly dragging down the bridge of his nose. 

“I know,” he admits back ashamedly, when her finger reaches his lips. “I didn’t realize I was trying to do it until now.” 

Her fingers moved to caress his cheek. “I understand why you subconsciously would try to do it . . . Though Delta’s intentions were right, the way he went about doing everything was so wrong — and the worst part of it, it might have been the only way he’d be able to do it.”

“The end justifies the means,” he states simply, and, in that moment, he realizes how similar Delta and the Akane from his timeline are in their ideology.

Diana nods. “Yes, exactly. Even though we were unable to raise him, and that he has turned out to be like this, we can’t turn away from the fact that he is our son.”

“I understand this now, but before, I was so angry — I still am.” His words are calm, but his body tenses – Diana seems to sense this as well.

She sighs. “I’m not happy with what he has done as well,” she admits sadly, “but I understand why it had to happen.”

Sigma pauses fleetingly, trying to determine how to phrase his next words. “I just . . . sometimes, I feel that it’s all unfair. Poor Sean is more deserving to be our son than _him_.”

Diana smiles sadly, brushing her thumb against his knuckles with the hand that has been holding his. “I know what you mean, but, Sigma, remember that Delta is the one to have created Sean. Yes, he was based off another boy, but we don’t know what characteristics of that boy he chose to add and not to add to Sean. In a strange sense, you could consider Sean a grandson, if Delta ever considered him or his other models his sons.”

He exhales sharply, lightly squeezing her hand. “I know.”

The silence that falls after is somewhat peaceful. The past few days have been so overwhelming that Diana believes a little peace and silence will help calm things down. 

Sigma hasn’t let go of her hand yet, but he is quiet and still; his eyes are closed and the only sounds are the small, steady breaths he takes, as his chest rises up and down. Diana thinks he has finally fallen asleep, and is about to try to sleep herself, but then he speaks.

“Diana?”

Her eyes open slowly and flit to his. “Yes, Sigma?” She angles her head slightly towards him.

He scratches the back of his head nervously. “When this is all over, I . . . um, it might be a bit soon or forward of me, but — ” He breaks off his words with exhale. “I . . . I want us to try for a baby. So, would you like for us to have a baby together?” He scrunches his eyes shut momentarily as he sighs. “That’s not exactly how I wanted to word it, but now you know . . . I don’t want you to think of it as filling the void, but I truly do want to have another child with you in this timeline.” He doesn’t want to tell her that he has been craving the feeling of having a child with her, after gaining the memories of their time with baby Phi and Delta.

“Oh, Sigma.” Diana’s eyes water over when she leans over to place a palm on his cheek and lightly kiss him. “I understand and know the feeling. I want us to have a baby, too,” she murmurs softly against his lips, as her face hovers over his.

His tear-filled eyes slowly open as he grins back at her, and his hands move cup her cheeks. “Thank you . . . thank you so much, Diana.” He is so fortunate to have her in his life, as his love — probably even more than that, since he already lost her once on the moon. He wants to hold her tight and never let her go – the thought of losing her is unbearable, and he isn’t sure if he’d be able to live through it again.

She moves to lay on his chest, and his hand strokes her hair lovingly. “I’m sorry. I probably should have asked you a different question, first,” he apologies sheepishly. 

Diana stretches her neck to look up at him and smile. “Y-You don’t have to go through the whole proposal ordeal, Sigma. I know you love me and want to marry me, and you know that I do, too." 

“Hmm, I’ll humor you, anyway,” he replies with a grin, as he brings their joined hands to his lips. He looks up through his long lashes and murmurs softly against her skin, “Marry me, Diana. Today, tomorrow, after you give birth to our child . . . whenever.”

She bites her lip to hide her smile, but lets out a laugh and nods. He beams back at her, too, as he moves towards Diana so that his lips can meet hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, don't give me dirty looks. I kinda wanted Sean to stay permanently with Sigma, too, but the Post-Payoff Files suggest that Sean ultimately ends up with Eric and Mira after 6 months. I just decided to have Sean spend these 6 months with Sigma. And, yes, another reason for the dirty looks is the baby fever that has infected Diana and Sigma, I know. But honestly, it made the most sense to me for them to crave a baby at this point, after all that has happened (when you take into account that they have gain memories of some of the timelines of the Decision Game). ~~And don't you want to see some fluffy goodness with Sigma and a pregnant Diana in the Post-Epilogue? Gosh, I'm just a sucker for some Sigma/Diana, if you can't tell already~~
> 
> See you all next week at the Epilogue! ;)


	16. Epilogue: Acta est Fabula, Plaudite!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they wake up to their last day together, and must bid each other adieu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter of the entire fic, I think, at nearly 5,000 words. I originally wanted to divide it into two, but I wanted to retain the digital root of the number of chapters 18, haha. Some might argue that making it 19 chapters would make the digital root 1, which is the same as the root of 10, for the 10 participants of the _Deci_ -sion Game, but I'm attached to the number 9 a little too much. 
> 
> Some people might not like the way I've written this, or what I've written, really. It compares nothing to what could have happened at this point, in Zero Time Dilemma, of course, but it is my interpretation of things. I sincerely do hope you enjoy the chapter, though!

 

Though they all wake up in different ways, each awakes with a sense of dread of their last day together to meet its end.

.

Sigma, who is glad to have finally slept the night without him or Diana suffering from night terrors, wakes up to the hushed whispers of Diana and Sophia, who stands in the doorway of their room. 

. 

Maria wakes up to Carlos kissing her forehead and quietly informing her that he needs to step out for a bit and will be back soon. She inhales his familiar scent — smoke, sweat, peppermint and home.

. 

Junpei wakes up to the sight of Akane softly smiling at him. 

“Good morning,” she croons quietly, her fingers skimming through his hair, as she leans down to kiss him – yes, finally, they have kissed, and done more than just that. (Though, Akane has expressed her desire to wait to have sex with Junpei until they are married . . .)

.

Aoi is the only one who doesn’t wake up on time. He has always been one to sleep late and wake up late — he probably won’t be up until noon, it seems . . .

. 

Mira wakes up to Eric kneeling by her side.

“Mmm . . . Eric?” she rasps. 

“Hey,” he replies back softly, a small smile twitching at the corner of his lips. “Good morning.” His smile falls as he sighs. “Look, Mira, I’m sorry about yesterday. I sort of . . . lost it. I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have said.”

“No, Eric,” she protests. “You don’t need to apologize for anything. You simply let out what was in your heart.”

He shakes his head. “Mira, please. I’m really ashamed by how badly I reacted, so I am really sorry, and I want to forget everything ever happened. I want to put it all behind us.” 

For the first time since they started dating, she happily gives Eric a small kiss — even though it is fleeting, Eric curves his mouth into a smile against her lips.

“Thank you for being so forgiving, Eric,” she murmurs softly after pulling away. “You’re too nice and sweet.”

He sighs happily. “Thank _you_ , Mira,” he whispers back, his warm breath washing over her. 

“We need to book the plane tickets to Nebraska,” he informs her an hour later, the hotel sheets entangled between their bare limbs as they lie in bed.

She was a little hesitant to act when, after their kiss, Eric tugged at the drawstring of her sleep shorts, silently asking for her permission as he gazed intensely into her eyes. At first, she felt almost as if she was betraying him if she agreed, but then she decided that he deserved this last moment with her before they left Flagstaff and everything would change for the better.

Mira has to admit, it was the best sex she has ever had, let alone the best sex she has ever had with Eric. Sex was always unsatisfying and meaningless to her, since she could never feel the intensity and intimacy of being with another person; but today, she has felt all of those things. 

Not to mention, the post-coital snuggling with Eric is nothing like she has ever done or experienced before. It’s a little . . . sweet and calmer than what Mira is used to, maybe a little too sweet for her tastes, but for now, she allows it. Usually, Eric or another lover would fall asleep, and she would remain awake, unsatisfied and restless, but not today.

“Are we flying out today?” she wonders. “No Grand Canyon?”

“Yeah. I know it’s a bit last minute, but Sigma said that he told the front desk we’d be here three days, so we need to check out by 1PM today. And Carlos said that he doesn’t feel an inclination to go to the Grand Canyon anymore . . . he did suggest that we should all meet up again soon to go there, though.” He looks at her with a hopeful smile.

Mira nods dutifully, but tries to hide the pang of sadness she feels at his last words. “Sounds good. And it shouldn’t be a problem to buy the tickets at the last moment, since we went to the bank and deposited the checks into our joint account.” She sits up from the bed, the blanket dropping from her chest, and smiles sweetly at him – a smile she rarely has given him. “Just let me shower, and then I’ll head to the computer room they have in the lobby and get right on it.” 

He gives back a surprised, but happy grin of his own and grabs her hand, squeezing it once. “Okay. And, Mira?”

“Mm-hm?” she hums back.

“I love you,” he tells her.

She doesn’t reply, only letting go of his hand and hopping off the bed. As she strolls into the bathroom, she silently returns his declaration with a smile — but he doesn’t know that it is full of sorrow.

Mira can’t forget all that has happened, and, for Eric’s sake and hers, she certainly can’t let him forget, either.

. 

Clover wakes up to the sound of a hard knock at her door.

"Carlos?" she croaks groggily. Her voice is hoarse from crying early in the morning and she is sure Carlos can see the dark circles beneath her eyes -- she didn't think to quickly rub on some concealer before answering the door.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Clover. I just needed to talk to you." 

“S-Sure . . . come in.” She opens the door a little wider to let Carlos to walk in. He heads immediately for the couch on the other side of the room. “So, what can I do for you?” she asks, as she lifts herself up to sit on the table in front of him. 

With no introduction or prelude, Carlos simply states, “You like Aoi.” 

Clover gasps. “What makes you think that?”

“Clover . . .” Carlos gives her a knowing look, which causes her shoulders to slump in defeat. 

She then groans and buries her face in her hands. “Am I really that obvious?” she grumbles.

He shakes his head. “Quite the contrary, actually. You did a pretty good job at hiding it, actually. If I hadn’t seen you look upset in the car while driving us to Flagstaff, I wouldn’t have known at all.” He frowns and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Oh . . .” She could have sworn his eyes were focused only on the road and his mirrors (not just for extra view of the road, but to also check in on Maria every so often). It didn’t occur to Clover that Carlos could have sneaked a look at her.

“I know it must suck, to find out you love the same guy as your brother.”

Clover exhales sharply. “No offense, Carlos, but you don’t know how it feels to be in my position right now.” Her mouth twists into a sour grimace. “You can’t possibly know how shitty of a sister I feel to fall for Aoi while Light has loved him for years.”

“Hey. Don’t put yourself down for falling in love with Aoi,” he scolds sternly. “You didn’t know any better.” He rises from his seat to place a hand on Clover’s shoulder reassuringly. “And, Clover,” – his voice grows softer – “I may not be one for romance, but a lot of my coworkers tell me I’m great at giving advice for relationships and all that.” 

“Hmm.” She grins wryly, even though her eyes are full of tears. “So, that means no match-making for you, right?”

Carlos smiles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Let’s forget about me for now, and focus on you, okay?” 

She sniffs. “There’s nothing wrong with being asexual, you know,” she assures with a watery smile, “but if you really insist, I’ll let it go . . . for now. Now, give me your best advice, because I really think I need it.” 

Not a full hour later, they decide to end their talks, even though they are not nearly finished with their discussion – they can always talk another time, but, soon, everyone is going to wake up, and grow curious if Carlos’s is still here.

“Thank you, Carlos.” She gives him a genuine smile and a lighter heart, as they slowly walk towards the door. “Your advice really helped me. I truly appreciate you coming here to talk to me.”

“I had to help, Clover. It was my duty.”

She rolls her eyes. “Right. Firefighter and all. Helping people is part of the job description.”

He chuckles. “That’s one way to put it, but I meant as Akane and Junpei’s friend, and as just a human being, who can’t see another hurting.”

She is touched by his words, so, after she tearfully bids Carlos goodbye, with a promise to sit near each other later at brunch.

But then, not a full moment after he walks into his room. Clover sees a tall woman stand a small distance away.

“Mira?”

. 

Phi wakes to an empty bed. Sophia is gone. On the pillow where she slept, however, is a sheet of motel stationary.

. 

A bored Sean, on the other hand, simply sits on his bed, flipping through the channels on the TV, as he is incapable of sleep.

. 

“Hey!” Phi hollers from the driver’s window. “You all got your stuff out of the RV, right? I don’t want anyone calling or crying to me if they forgot something in the trailer.” That is a blatant lie, and everyone knows it – no one would mind a call from another person from the Decision Game. After all, that was the intent when they all exchanged numbers and promised to video chat and text – with the exception of a disgruntled Aoi, Mira, who claimed that Eric’s number would be enough, a cellphone-less Sean, and Clover (who didn’t feel it was her place to participate in this trade, and only exchanged numbers with Akane, Aoi, Junpei, Sigma (albeit reluctantly), and Carlos).

Sean, who is currently embracing a crouched down Mira tightly, asks, “You guys didn’t forget anything.

Yes, Mira has to angle her head a little to the right to that Sean’s helmet can fit snugly in the crook of her neck, but she doesn’t mind it.

“Hey, kid, you didn’t forget about me, did you?!” a teasing voice suddenly calls out.

Sean loosens himself from Mira’s embrace and turns around to see the person who has called him. “Oh, Junpei!” he exclaims in shock, as the man strolls over towards him.

“Hey.” Junpei grins good-naturedly. “I see you made your choice. So, staying Mira and Eric benefits you more.” 

Sean shrugs. “Going with Sigma will benefit me, but it’s the same with Eric and Mira,” he responds. “They care for me so much, and though Sigma does, too, but Eric, Mira, and I have gone through so much that they understand my needs just a little more – and that’s the biggest benefit I could ever have.” Eric smiles widely, while Mira bites her lip and looks away. “Right now, I’m going with Sigma so he can make my head, and teach me more about myself and the GAULEMs, but after all of that is done, I’m going to Nebraska to stay with them.”

Junpei nods thoughtfully. “I see. You seem happy with your choice, which shows me that you made the choice with benefits you the most . . . Now,” – He smiles almost sadly, holding his arms out invitingly – “come here and give me a hug before you leave.”

Sean happily goes to embrace him – but his grip is very tight, that Junpei is not expecting it.

“Oof! Man, you’re strong!”

“Sorry.” He giggles, and feels Junpei’s arms curl around him tighter at the sound. “Thank you so much for helping me, Junpei. I would have never known what to have done without your help.”

“Anything to help you, kid. And I know we haven’t talked much, one on one, but if Sigma didn’t beat me to it, I probably would have fought with Eric and Mira to get you,” he murmurs softly, squeezing Sean’s body a little harder. “I’m gonna miss you a lot, Sean.”

Sean is so moved by Junpei’s words that he wishes he is capable of crying – it might give relief to this empty, unsatisfied bittersweet feeling. “I’m going to miss you, too, Junpei,” he croaks sadly, as he pulls away from their embrace. 

.

Phi, Sean, and Sigma are already in the car when Diana pops her head out of the RV’s door. Tears shimmer in her eyes as she greets her friends goodbye. “We’ll see you all soon, okay?” 

“Yes, we’ll be in contact with all of you soon – not just regarding the fanatic, but to check in with you all.” Akane flashes her a wide smile. “Let us know when you’ve reached home, alright?” 

A few feet behind Akane, though, Mira remembers something important.

“Eric,” she says suddenly, urgently, thrusting a small manila envelope into his hands. “Hold on to the tickets for a moment and keep an eye out for the cab I asked the front desk to call for the ride to the airport. I forgot to tell Sean something!”

Eric nods instantly. “Hurry! Go before they leave!”

As Mira runs off, Eric stuffs the envelope into his messenger bag that is slung around his body, as he wonders to himself what was so important that Mira rushed to Sean. _She could have just called him later or something_ , he thinks to himself, slightly confused. He’ll just have to ask her later, it seems.

A few minutes later, Mira walks back over to Eric’s side and the sound of the RV’s engine starting pierces the sad silence that was forming. As the vehicle begins to move, Sigma waves from the driver’s window, while Diana, Phi and Sean wave from the window behind him. Everyone standing outside wave back, giving their final goodbyes, before the vehicle turns out of the parking lot and heads out into the streets.

Eric stares after the RV longingly. He misses the little guy already – Sean has become somewhat of a little brother figure to him. He doesn’t want Sean to go far away, but knows that it is for his good – and it’s not like Sean isn’t coming back to him and Mira. They’ll see him again in 6 months.

Mira, on the other hand, exhales sharply, as she fiddles with her fingers nervously — something she is not accustomed to doing. “Well,” she begins with her sigh, “now that I’ve said goodbye to Sean and Phi’s family . . . I think I should say goodbye to all of you and get going.” She turns to nod at Clover, who bobs her head back as she approaches her, digging through her pocket to pull out a pair of handcuffs.

Junpei’s eyes widen. “H-Hey, Clover, what are you doing?” 

“Clover?” Akane asks hesitantly. She tries to take a step forward, but Aoi grabs a hold of her arm. She looks at him questioningly, but he just shakes his head.

He leans back against the wall and grins wryly. “I think Clover is just doing her job.”

And then, Mira has her hands behind her back, as Clover shackles her wrists. "Goodbye, guys."

“Mira!?” Eric exclaims. “. . . No, Clover, what the fuck are you doing!? Let Mira go! _Let my Mira go_!”

“Eric, Eric! It’s okay.” Mira’s voice is very calm for a person who is getting arrested. “I’ve asked her to do this.”

Eric’s eyes widen in terror. “ _What_?! Mira, what the _hell_ are you doing?!” he shouts at her, grabbing her shoulders. Clover doesn’t pull Mira away from him, understanding that Mira must leave Eric with some closure. 

She shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m turning myself in,” she murmurs, as she looks away, unable to meet his tear-filled eyes. “You can forgive me and we can be together this way.”

“No, _no_! Mira, I didn’t mean it! I didn’t mean it! Clover, let her go, please!”

Clover gives him a look full of pity and sorrow. “I’m sorry." She looks down"Eric, but Mira has already confessed her crimes.”

“Fuck, no! Mira, why would you do this!?” he sobs, his tight grip on her shoulders beginning to loosen.

And with that, suddenly, Mira’s stoic veneer starts to crumble. “Eric . . . I’m sorry.” What is this wetness on her cheeks? Is she crying? She feels her chest constricting as indescribable feelings of sorrow overcome her — is this what it feels to have a broken heart? Suddenly, Mira is not sure if she wants to feel emotions anymore; it is starting to make her feel really shitty, if she’s putting it bluntly.

She tries to stop herself from shaking, but quiet sobs wrack her body anyway - she refuses to weep openly in front of everyone, and is grateful she can control herself enough. "I . . . I'm really sorry to do this to you, Eric."

"Mira . . . ," he quietly exclaims, taken aback to see her express such sorrow and vulnerability. Mira usually is never like this. She calls people who cry weak - she has called him weak many times for crying (and it helped Eric to grow a little stronger, for her sake). 

“Akane, Aoi,” Mira then calls out softly to the pair of siblings through her tears when she feels a little calmer, “for what it’s worth, I’m . . . um, sorry about your parents.” Her voice is remorseful, but is not full of misery. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, at all, but I wanted you both to know this before Clover takes me away.”

Aoi crosses her arms and looks away, while Akane silently nods, slightly appreciative, since this is the psychopathic Heart Ripper, who has killed without remorse or sorrow. After all, the woman in front of her now seems to be a different, emotion-filled person than the one who killed her parents. She wants to pity Mira now, but she's not sure if she can do so.

“One more thing before I leave.” She turns to face Eric as she sniffs. “Eric, promise me you’ll talk to someone. You can’t go on like this without some sort of treatment for your PTSD. You had to suffer so much because of me, and I don’t want you to suffer anymore.”

“Mira, I don’t need help! I need _you_!” he screams, and suddenly, Akane is happy that they’re in an isolated part of the parking lot.

“No, you don’t,” she answers back softly, her hand curling around Eric’s arm. “Just promise me you’ll get help. Do it for me.” 

“I promise, I’ll get help,” he vows. “But you can’t leave me!”

“I’m not leaving you, Eric. I’m going away from you, but my heart is with you. It’s always yours.” It is a dysfunctional heart, which is beginning to learn all of the proper emotions a human needs, but she isn’t lying when she says it is his. As she lets go of her grip on Eric, Mira turns to face Clover from behind her and nods once. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Clover nods back and takes a deep breath. “Mira, you are under arrest,” she declares, before announcing Mira’s Miranda Rights. “You have the right to remain silent – ”

“No!” Eric gasps. “Mira, please – ”

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?” 

Mira silently shakes her head. 

This is it – she’s ready to pay her sins and to do her part in saving the world, as she told Zero she would. It would be killing two birds with one stone – after all, if she’s not standing in the way of law enforcement, and is in jail to atone for her sins, they can focus better on tracking down the fanatic.

In the distance, the sound of sirens can be heard. Akane looks up to see a car labeled ‘POLICE’ on it in bold, blue letters approaching their location. When the parks near them, an Egyptian beauty steps out of the car. _Alice_ , Akane recognizes. _Aoi must have released her from the pod._

She struts up to her co-worker, the sound of her heels clicking as they meet the smooth pavement. “Clover,” the agent greets coolly, though her eyes are warm and tender.

“Alice!” Clover smiles in relief. “You’re okay!”

Alice gives her shoulder a squeeze, but her hand lingers longer than it normally would. “Yes, and I’m glad to see that you’re alright, too, honey.” Her smile twists into a grimace as she looks down at Mira with blatant disgust. “This is the Heart Ripper?”

Clover nods as she frowns. “Um, yeah." 

“Alright. I’m taking her back to headquarters, now,” Alice informs Clover, approaching close to where she stands.

“Okay. Um, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to HQ today . . .”

Alice takes the hold of Mira’s cuffed hands from her. “That’s perfectly alright. I know that you’re still tired.” She frowns concernedly. “Please, get some rest, Clover. You’ll need it, since we have a lot ahead of us.”

Aoi wants to applaud Alice’s strength. Whereas Clover felt feeble and exhausted from the cold sleep, Alice is up and running, barking orders and taking charge, even though he only ordered to open Alice’s pod yesterday evening. Out of genuine concern, however, he asks, “Hey, Alice, how are you feeling? No dizziness or anything, right?”

It might have been the wrong thing – or moment – to say, though.

Alice turns to sharply glare at Aoi for a moment, fire blazing in her dark brown eyes – he can’t help but think that the fuming look in her eyes contrasts nicely with the blue that rims around her eyes. “That’s SOIS Agent Alice to you, mutt,” she snarls menacingly, taking a step toward him.

Aoi’s eyes widen, surprised by her comment. Standoffish as ever, she seems. But her behavior makes sense, when he thinks about it. After all, he drugged and kidnapped her with the intention to keep her in cold sleep for potentially the next 45 years . . . it makes him wonder how much Ennea revealed to Alice. He would have to call her later to find out.

Before walking away with Mira in tow (with Eric hoarding them with angry cries), she mutters scornfully to herself, “I don’t know what Light sees in him,” but Aoi catches the words anyway, and causes the tip of his ears to warm in embarrassment.

 _Fuck, maybe Akane is right, as always . . . I might just be blowing all of this shit out of proportion. I could ask Clover about Light_ , he considers to himself, as Alice’s vehicle drives out of the hotel parking lot.

Meanwhile, Eric slowly turns away from where the cop car just was, and with sluggish, defeated movements, walks to Clover. “Where . . . where is she being taken to?” he asks her, crushed. His voice is bleak, lifeless – just like his current mental state. Still, he knows he must push on to determine his next course of action.

Clover sighs and crosses her arms over her chest. “Well, as of now, we’ll interrogate her at SOIS HQ, and then she’s going back to New York. She’ll be put in front of a grand jury so they can determine if she needs a trial, and then she’ll be given a sentence.”

New York? That was where Eric used to live with his family before. “Why there?” he presses. “We live in Nebraska. Shouldn’t she be taken there, then?”

She nods in confirmation. “Yes, you would be right in other cases, but the bulk of her crimes was committed in that state, while she only killed a few in Nebraska,” she informs him _._

 _That’s right_. . . His mother was killed in New York.

“ . . . so, if the grand jury determines she must go to trial, she will be tried by the State of New York, first, and then Nebraska. If not, she’ll be given a sentence without a trial.”

“And then?” 

“She’ll probably go to a state penitentiary in the upstate area . . . since, according to her file, that is where she is from.”

Eric looks pensive. “Upstate New York, huh?" 

His cab arrives not a minute later. Bidding his companions with a simple, “Goodbye,” he pulls on the shiny handle of the black sedan to open its door.

But Akane can’t him go just like this.

“Wait!”

He pauses. “Akane?” he wonders, as he turns around. “What’s wrong?”

Akane smiles softly. “Let one of us accompany you to the airport, Eric,” she insists, as she takes a step forward. She hears Aoi grunt softly as Junpei stops him from holding Akane back.

Eric shakes his head. “I can take the cab on my own,” he responds coldly.

“Come on, Eric. I know you’re upset, but it needed to be done. You know that, too,” Carlos points out from behind Akane.

His shoulders slump as he sighs, defeated. “I know,” he admits in whisper. 

“You _are_ going to get help, right?” Junpei inquires. 

Eric nods blankly, but Akane can tell he is trying his best not to break down. “Yeah . . . I promised her I would, didn’t I?”

“She cares for you,” Maria notes softly, “and you, for her.”

He flashes a fleeting, small grin. “Yes . . . she’s changed a lot over the past few days, in a good way. She feels more in touch with her emotions,” he tells them. “I’m . . . I’m really proud of her. . .” He suddenly breaks away from his reflection and looks up at the others. “Hey, I’m sorry to cut things off like this, but I’m going to miss my flight if I don’t leave now. I’ll stay in contact, and maybe, if things work out, I’ll come if you guys make that plan to go to the Grand Canyon.” 

Akane nods. “Yes, let us know that you’ve reached home safely, and do keep us updated on Mira.”

“I will,” he promises, giving her a half-hearted smile. “Bye, guys. I’ll hopefully video chat you all soon or something.”

. 

After he sits in the taxi, Eric immediately places his shoulder bag to his lap, and scrambles to find the envelope that Mira had given him earlier.

Only his passport is in the envelope, and there is only one ticket for Nebraska, in his name.

“Mira,” he whispers hoarsely to himself, turning to stare at the reflection of his grief-stricken, tear-stained face in the window, as he sobs to himself silently.

.

“Man, Clover, you’re a pretty badass cop . . .” 

Clover’s cheeks flush as she smiles embarrassedly and shrugs. “I’m just a SOIS agent arresting a criminal, Aoi.” She goes on to talk about how Light has made more arrests than her, and says that she would have probably asked Light to investigate and look into Mira, if she hadn’t come to Clover and confess this morning.

Though Akane considers herself to be the biggest pacifist of the group, in her eyes, justice has been served. 

“It really does suck for her, though,” Junpei points out, “when you think about it. She killed as a psychopath, but she’s paying for the crime as a human who is finally starting to realize what emotions are.”

“She must feel so much regret, then,” Maria realizes sadly, as she grasps onto her brother’s arm.

Yes, Mira is able to finally feel emotions and act humane – though, she may or may not be accustomed to and is probably not completely comfortable with it all. Akane suspects that she has caught glimpses and felt bits of emotion as she SHIFTed. The morphogenetic field has seemed to cure her psychopathy.

It makes Akane wonder if that is what Gentarou Hongou’s ultimate goal was in the Nonary Project. If that is so, then his plan resulted in failure because he did not correctly grasp the mechanics of the morphogenetic field. 

He only assumed that a transmitter sending information to a receiver would be enough for him to catch a glimpse of faces; but, if he had SHIFTed instead of holding the Nonary Game, Akane realizes, it would have been enough. SHIFTing would have been the answer to a lot of problems. Perhaps, there is another timeline where Hongou caught his mistake, where Akane didn’t have to go through the Nonary Games and could have reconnected with Junpei in a completely conventional way, but there is no point to lament now. What has been done has been done, and all Akane can do is work to stop the religious fanatic and look forward to a happy future. 

“Now that Free the Soul won’t grow and everything with Radical-6 has been avoided,” Aoi begins, breaking Akane out of her musing, “what is SOIS’s next mission?”

Clover grins slyly – even though she has to fight through her dejectedness to do so, it is getting easier, she feels (and, not to mention, Alice’s fleeting presence did help her immensely). “Interested in SOIS’s agenda, Aoi? . . . Or in my brother’s?”

He scowls. “I was going to ask if SOIS has any intention to track down the religious fanatic or if they plan to just leave it up to Crash Keys.”

Junpei snorts, while Akane rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Yeah, right.”

“Guys, stop annoying Aoi!” Carlos chides parentally, placing his free hand on his hip.

“But it’s so obvious – ”

Aoi crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m fucking serious, you guys; stop bugging me about this! You, too, Carlos! Don’t think I can’t see that fucking smirk you’re trying to hide!” he growls, before giving a final groan in exasperation and stomping away from the group.

“H-Hey, Aoi!” Carlos calls out, though is unable to hide his laugh, like everyone else. 

Akane giggles. “Oh, don’t worry. He’ll be fine.” She waves her hand airily. “Aoi has always been a grouch when it comes to his true feelings. Let’s just go after him. We’ve been lingering here for long, anyway.” 

So, they grab their bags and go the way Aoi went. As they start their walk to Carlos’s minivan, Clover feels a shoulder bump hers.

“You okay?” Carlos whispers in her ear, a concerned look crossing his face.

Clover swallows lightly before giving him a small, but genuine smile. “I . . . I think am.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably screwed up on the information regarding what happens to Mira next – for some reason, though, after reading the Eric & Mira Post-Payoff Files, I was under the impression that they were somewhere in Upstate New York…
> 
> Have you ever wondered why Mira struggled to recognize Sean in their Post-Payoff Files? (Though, you could probably guess the reason now. Speaking of which, I know, there are no US Penitentiaries in Upstate NY, but we can pretend that there will be in the future, right?) Would you like a Post-Payoff "File" for D-Team? Would you like to see what the hell that anagram was about? Stay tuned for the next chapter, then, folks! It's going to be a big one that which will either leave you satisfied, or completely unsatisfied, I think. ;)


	17. Post-Payoff: The Klim Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sigma returns from dropping off Sean to stay with Eric for a month in New York, the Klims learn that Delta is not who he seems, Diana discovers the meaning to a part of the anagram, and one member of the Klim family meets a young woman who may or may not lead them all to the religious fanatic.
> 
> (AKA, in which D-Team finally gets their Post-Payoff epilogue file.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you recall at the end of Chapter 14 when I mentioned something about a misunderstanding or inconsistency with what we know from ZTD, and that it changes the meaning behind or fills in the holes left by some explanations? If you weren’t able to figure it out or set your suspicions on something, allow me to steer you in the right direction.
> 
> Sophia tells Phi that Delta SHIFTed, but could have then transported later into the future where the fanatic was stopped. She either neglected to mention or forgot that Delta transports to that specific point in time in every timeline — that means that Delta transports to 2029, in timelines where Radical-6 is and is not released.
> 
> This has a revelation that could make or break this story. I’m sure there are loopholes in my logic here, but this is what I think what ultimately happened at the end of ZTD.
> 
> Also, please recall that I told you that the Epilogue was the longest chapter of this story — well, I lied. This one is 6,580 words! IT IS TIME FOR AN INFORMATION OVERLOAD, MY CHILDREN! PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE COMPLEXITY OF COMPLEX MOTIVES!!! ;)

_6 Months Later_  

His eyes search as his slow walk comes to a standstill. He peers over the crowds of people on his toes, as his eyes anxiously sweep over the area. He can feel her presence, but can’t seem to find her anywhere. 

“Sigma!” he hears her lovely voice cries out happily. His head immediately whips around to source of the sound. There she is, stretched up on her toes, waving enthusiastically as she beams at him.

“Diana!” he calls back, as he crosses the large terminal, weaving through the crowds of people smoothly, in spite of his small attaché. 

When he reaches her, he immediately engulfs her in a long, tight — but not too tight — embrace. He inhales deeply, taking in her musky, sweet scent; she smells like lavender and home.

That brings about the thought of what awaits for him at home, which makes him untangle himself from her arms and frown. “Where is Phi?” 

Diana’s eyes widen. “Oh, don’t worry about her. Anyway!” she interjects, before he can fully open his mouth to respond. “How did it go? How did they react?” She quickly flashes him an eager grin, and with that, they begin walking towards the paring garage.

Sigma relaxes, forgetting the words he originally wanted to tell her. “Well . . . Eric was shocked. He almost couldn’t believe it was Sean standing in front of him.”

“And Mira? How is she? Did she recognize Sean?”

Sigma sighs. “I don’t know. I didn’t get to see her, but I think, when Eric takes Sean to meet her, it might take her a minute or two to realize it is him with a new face.” 

Diana curls her arms across her stomach as she walks. “Well, you did at least give Eric the present, right?”

Sigma’s eyes widen as he stops walking. “Fuck, I forgot!” His palm slaps his forehead.

“ _What_!?” Diana shrieks as she stops in her tracks. She whirls to face him so she can shout in her fiancée’s face. “How could you forget to give them their wedding gift!?” 

His expression of shock morphs into amusement. “Kidding!” He snickers. “You really thought that I would forget to give the gift? You really have no faith in me.” 

Her eyes narrow into slits as her jaw drops. “ _Sigma_ ,” she then seethes through gritted teeth.

“Hey, it was just a jok — ow! Dammit, Diana, that actually hurt!”

Even if Sigma is having trouble keeping up with her mood swings, things do calm down after that, with Diana accepting his apology with a giggle. The silence that falls between them is peaceful and comforting. 

But then, they reach the SUV — Sigma insisted on buying the car after coming back to California, since they had the money to afford it now.

“Let me drive.” Sigma holds his hand out to take the key. 

Diana huffs and crosses her arms over her chest — momentarily drawing his attention there — as she clenches onto the key so tightly, she is certain it will leave an imprint on her palm. “Come on, Sigma, I drove the car here without a problem and without anyone else in the car.” 

Sigma frowns as he looks back up to her face. “I thought I told Phi to accompany you. She could have driven with you, since she renewed her permit.” It was something she immediately did after coming home — she didn’t want to miss an opportunity to drive the RV again. “Why isn’t she here?” he inquires suspiciously.

Diana groans in exasperation. “Unlike you, Sigma, Phi understands that I am perfectly capable of driving myself to the airport to pick you up — she knows that I’m pregnant, not disabled!”

.

“I miss the little guy,” Phi says wistfully, as she sits on the couch of the Klim living room. 

Sigma sighs sadly. “I do, too.” 

“How long is he staying in New York for, anyway?” 

“Eric and I agreed on a month, though it is up to Sean if he is willing to stay a little longer. Not longer than two months, though. Between his job at the ice cream parlor and his therapy sessions, Eric won’t have much time for Sean.” 

Next to Phi, Diana tilts her head in thought. “And it might not be a good idea to have Sean around Eric for too long while Eric is still a little unstable and is trying to get help,” she adds. 

“Well,” Sigma starts, his shoulders slightly slumping, “he has definitely gotten much better . . . though, I don’t think he can fully heal from something so traumatic as this. He has gotten very close with his neighbors in New York, but he will probably need Sean for emotional support, as well, since Mira is in prison.” 

With her elbows resting on her thighs, Diana brings up her folded hands together to lean her cheek on them. “Is he always going to keep on going back and forth like this?” she asks.

“For now, yes.” Sigma nods in confirmation. “Sean will be here for most of the time until Eric fully improves his health and until I can’t think of anymore modifications to add onto him.”

“Hmm.” Diana frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. “So, at least another year, then,” she points out concernedly. “That’s going to be so overwhelming for Sean.” 

Sigma laughs, surprising both her and Phi, and shakes his head. “Quite the contrary, actually. He was rather excited to be able to spend time with us both.” 

“That’s right,” Phi realizes, crossing one leg over another, as she leans back on the sofa. “He had such a hard time deciding on who he wanted to stay with after you removed that orb-head of his. He chose Eric and Mira, but this now gives him an extension of his time with you before he stays with them permanently.” 

He nods. “Exactly.” 

Though he was the one who was supposed to have Sean learn about GAULEMs, ABT and the like, Sigma learned a vast amount of information about epigenetics and inner mechanics of a robot from him; ultimately, he was learning more than the boy himself, more than he could ever imagine, let alone discover on Rhizome-9 — he supposed he could thank his son for that, at least.

He purses his lips at the thought of his son, and wonders about his current whereabouts — they haven’t seen him since that night in the facility and haven’t heard anything from him ever since. 

“Anyway,” Phi begins, pulling Sigma out of his thoughts. “I should get home. It’s almost dinnertime, and Gran is probably waiting for me.” 

Diana immediately scrambles to lift herself off the couch. “Did you me to dri — ” 

“Diana,” Sigma warns, immediately wrenching out of his seat to run to her side. “You’ve been working all day at the hospital, and you came to pick me up at the airport. You need to take rest. I’ll drop Phi home.” 

Phi shakes her head. “Don’t bother. I’m taking the bus home.”

“I don’t mind driving you, really.”

She rolls her eyes. “Every week, we have this argument, and almost every week, I win — the times I don’t win is because I _let_ you take me home.”

Sigma crosses his arms over his chest and huffs. “That’s only because you say that you’re meeting up with a friend or someone on your way home.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “So, who said I wasn’t meeting with someone today?”

Feeling irritated at Phi’s smart-ass behavior, Sigma groans. “Who even have you been meeting up with, anyway?”

“Oh, Sigma!” Diana laughs. “Don’t be a nosy dad. Phi’s an adult and can meet with whoever she wants.” She turns to Phi with a serious look. “As long as she knows the people she surrounds herself with aren’t terrible people, right, Phi?” 

Phi nods solemnly. “Right.” 

“B-But — but . . . !” 

Phi smirks, a hand resting at her hip. “You should listen to Diana, Sigma.” 

“H-Hey!” 

As Phi begins to walk towards the door, Diana pulls at Sigma’s shirt so she can murmur in his ear, “You said you weren’t going to be one of those overprotective fathers when Phi started dating, Sigma. Don’t go back on your promise now.” She winks at him.

His eyes widen in terror. “ _D-D-Dating_!?” he tries not to yell, but his hush, terrified voice comes out screechy. “Phi is _dating_ someone!?”

“Well, I have my suspicions, but I won’t say anything until she confirms it,” she mutters back, before scurrying up to Phi, where she stands at the front door.

When Diana reaches her, Phi gives her a light, gentle hug, almost scared to crush her protruding stomach. “Take care, and if Sigma tries to stop you from doing things that he thinks a pregnant woman shouldn’t do, and won’t listen to you, just call me.” 

Diana giggles. “I will.” 

“Text me when you get home,” Sigma, who did not hear Phi’s words, simply calls out from behind.

Phi angles her head slightly towards him. “You know that I probably won’t,” she answers back bluntly, but not rudely, as Diana opens the door for her. “Gran will most likely call, though.” She turns back to head out of the house, but stops in her tracks at what the now-opened doorway reveals. “What the _fuck_!?” she suddenly growls. 

“What happened, Phi?” Diana moves around the door to see what is going on, but freezes when she sees the young man, who she hasn’t seen in six months, standing in front of Phi. She lets out a gasp. “Delta?” 

“ _Delta_?!” Sigma exclaims in disbelief, the sound of his rushed footsteps growing as he comes closer and closer to Diana. 

Sure enough, when he reaches the doorway, he sees Delta’s tall figure, and familiar clothes. This time though, he is not wearing his red sunglasses. Sigma can now see his youthful, purple eyes clearly — they don’t glow as menacingly as when he saw them in Delta as an old man. They’re softer, and surprisingly more jaded and sadder. Underneath his eyes are dark rings, indicating his many sleepless nights — Sigma wants to find some sort of satisfaction in that, but somehow, he can only feel pity for the young man. “What the hell are you doing here?” His voice, though holds an edge of threat, is mainly tinged with bewilderment. 

“I . . .” He sighs and looks down towards Diana’s swollen stomach, but does not continue speaking. 

Diana frowns, resisting the urge to protectively hug her belly. “It’s been six months, and yet, you’ve come only now. Why is that?” 

He slowly moves his face back up towards Diana. “I was given specific instructions to wait until Sean returned to Eric and Mira,” he replies softly. 

Phi barks a laugh. “Hah! Brother, the leader of Free the Soul, the one who orchestrated the entire fucking Decision Game, following instructions?” 

“I . . . I’m not Brother, Phi.” Delta frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “I was supposed to live on to become Brother, but I was lucky to discover that _I_ would not . . . not in this timeline, at least.”                                                               

“What?”

“What do you mean, you’re not Brother? You’re not him in this timeline? You’re not making any sense. And how do we know we can trust you, huh?” Phi demands, her hands beginning to clench into fists. “How do we know you are not going to release Radical-6 and continue on with Free the Soul if we can’t find the fanatic? How do we even know that there’s a fanatic in the first place?!” 

“Phi . . . I promise you, I won’t do anything of that sort. Mom has the anagram that we can use to track down the fanatic.” 

Phi furrows her eyebrows in confusion and frowns. “What kind of excuse is that?! That doesn’t change anything. You have that anagram, too — after all, you’re the one that told her about it . . . you’re the one that trapped us in the shelter in the first place,” she seethes, hands balling into fists at her sides as she takes a step forward towards Delta. 

Delta’s eyes widen in fear. “No, no!” He waves his hands in front of himself defensively, as he takes a step back. “I don’t have the anagram. The one you call Brother does. And I am _not_ him! The Delta you think I am . . . the one who trapped you in the Decision Game — that’s not _me_!” he insists. “It hasn’t been me since you saw me that night in the research facility!” 

Phi’s thin, reddish eyebrows draw together in confusion. “What?” 

“I am not the old man Delta! He is not me . . . I am the Delta who transported here from 1925, acting on his instructions.” 

Diana’s eyes widen in shock, but her mind is already reeling back to his words in the facility the last time she saw him. “No . . .” 

 _“After Gordain’s death in 1931, I would be the one to hold the reigns to Free the Soul — and would drop the ‘of Y’ from the title.”_

He did not take over Free the Soul, but _would_ , in the same way that he did not drop the ‘of Y’ from the name, but _would_. 

Sigma’s thoughts lead him towards a similar path, as he remembers Delta’s response to the insinuation that he killed Lord Gordain.

_“No. I didn’t kill him . . . but who is to say that a different version of myself wouldn’t go on to?”_

The different version of him . . . was that why Sigma faltered when Delta addressed him as “Dad”? Why his youthful appearance had thrown Sigma off from accusing him? He doesn’t want to believe it, doesn’t want to believe that his hatred towards Delta is unjustifiable and is towards the _wrong_ man. Yes, over the past few months, he was starting to become more sympathetic towards Delta, as Diana would implore him to be, but Phi, with her own resentment, would try to pull him back to the hatred and rage — he was a rope that was indecisively being tugged on both ends, going back and forth between wanting to hate and pity his son.

“Delta, you . . .” Sigma begins hesitantly, his eyes meeting his son’s bright purple ones.

Phi scoffs. “Don’t tell me you actually believe him, Sigma.” 

“We . . . we have to at least — ”

“Come on, you expect me to believe that bullshit? Fuck that. He has to be lying.” 

“H-Hey! Calm down, Phi,” Sigma advises. “I-I don’t know if we can trust him either, but we just have to think with a clear mind and consider if what he is saying is true.”

She turns to glare at her father sharply. “Have you lost your mind!? This is the same man who trapped us all in the Decision Game and had us undergo mental and physical torture in multiple timelines. How can you stand here quietly and _consider_ his words?”

Sigma pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “I understand where you are coming from, Phi, but if he is who claims to be, we have to ask about and listen to his side of the story _calmly_.” He looks at her pointedly and then turns towards the 20-year-old man. “Please, tell us who you are then, if you’re not the old man Delta.” 

Delta exhales and then nods. “Let me start from the beginning. It started off a few months before mine and Phi’s 21st birthdays in 1925. I was writing in my journal about Left’s killers bribing the police investigating the case, but then feeling as if my mind was being dragged out of my body. All of a sudden, I found myself in the middle of the desert. The joints in my knees were in pain, as if I had gone for too long of a run for many days in a row, and that blonde man, Carlos, was pointing a handgun at me. I was about to scream at him to stop, and demand why Phi, who was dressed in strange, short clothing with her white hair, was not doing anything to stop him . . . but then, that same force was pulling me away from the body that I realized right then was of an old man’s. 

“And then, Phi — Sophia, as she calls herself now — was yanking me away from that train; it appeared as if I had left and then suddenly returned to 1925 . . . I could only come to the conclusion that I had SHIFTed, something Phi only dreamed about but never dared to do, and something that we had tested that I was incapable of doing.

When I returned home with Phi, I went straight to my room, in an attempt to think with a clear mind about the events that had just transpired; but upon reaching there, I immediately noticed that my notebook was still out. Something had drawn me to open it up and flip through the sheets. I was discovered to find pages and pages of information about what I had just experienced, and the future. Those pages were written by a much older me, who SHIFTed to 1925 and momentarily traded spots with me, in order to provide me with instructions on what I had to do to save the world from a religious fanatic.” 

Diana’s eyebrows draw together in realization. “Wait, so, when Carlos aimed the gun . . .” 

“The old man Delta SHIFTed to your time, wrote in your journal . . . ,” Phi continues warily.

Sigma taps his finger to his lips. “ . . . and then, SHIFTed back to face his death?” he finishes.

Delta nods at his family members, giving a hint of a sad smile at how synchronized they are in thought — he yearns to one day be a part of their tuned dynamic of sorts. “If we are going by what he had written in my journal, that would be correct.” 

“Okay, fine. So he left you with instructions, but that doesn’t change anything,” Phi argues, her eyes narrowing on him suspiciously. “The old asshole could have just told you to create the Myrmidons, Free the Soul, and Radical-6!” 

“No, no! Phi, please, you must believe me!” he begs. “I was given a specific set of instructions by the older Delta about what to do in the future, depending on the timeline I am in and what has occurred.”

Phi stays silent, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently, and waits for him to explain.

Delta sighs in relief and continues on. “He told me to transport to January 1st, 2029. The version of me who would remain in my current timeline would have to go on and develop Free the Soul, the Myrmidons, Radical-6, and the Decision Game. If any of the timelines failed the purpose of the game, and I couldn’t determine who the fanatic was, I’d have to release Radical-6. 

“If Radical-6 was released on its own, through Phi, that would be the timeline where I’d have to live on until my last breath to ensure that I would make the defunct, idiotic Fourth-Generation Myrmidon D-10, the leader of the clones and send him to Rhizome-9 to stop the AB Project — the whole point of this is so that he would screw up, and Dad and 2008 Phi’s consciousness could go back in time for the Decision Games.

For the version of me whose atomic data transported to January 1st, 2028, two things could happen: if I was in the timeline where Radical-6 was contained and the participants of the Decision Game were motivated to stop the fanatic, I would be off the hook. I could come and find you all and live with you all happily, according to him — if you didn’t hate me for what my other-self did. If, however, the purpose of the Decision Game failed, I’d be a sort of spare, or replacement for the Delta who lived on to create Radical-6 and the game. When the old Delta would die, I’d step in and take over Free the Soul as Brother, thus maintaining Brother’s near-immortal, centenarian image.”

“That . . . that sounds so unfair,” Diana murmurs sadly, “you were barely an adult when he sprung all of that on you.”

Delta gives a mirthless smile. “I’ve learned the hard way that life is simply unfair.”

Phi and Sigma groan at his words while Diana cringes.

“So . . . y-you’re just an innocent boy, then.”

He sighs. “I’m not quite a boy anymore, Mom, but you could say that.”

“Oh, really? You’re innocent?” Phi’s voice is calmer now, but she keeps her arms folded over her chest. “Then, why didn’t you correct everyone when we assumed that you were old Delta in the body of young Delta?” 

“I thought it would be best not to say anything now. And, if I am being frank, I was trying to gauge my surroundings by fishing for information.” 

“No . . .” She shakes her head. “I still can’t buy it. We can’t trust you. This whole story could be a huge fabrication, which means your consciousness could still be Delta’s from the Decision Game.” 

Delta closes his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose, and exhales sharply, becoming visibly frustrated with Phi’s behavior. “Look, I am not sure how many times I must explain it to you. I am truly sorry that you all were trapped in the Decision Game, but _my_ consciousness had nothing to do it with. I am not sure what I am supposed to do to gain your trust.” 

“Fine.” Phi purses her lips. “If you’re a different Delta, then answer this: the old fart said you had to meet him if Radical-6 got out of the Decision Game, right? So, if this turned out to be one of those timelines, where were you supposed to meet him?” 

His eyes fly open. “A-At the same facility where I met Sophia and you all,” he answers in earnest, his eyes starting to shine optimistically. “It was only because he died that you were there, too, or else I am certain he would have done something to divert your attention somewhere else.”

“Like divert us to death,” she can’t help but mutter scornfully.

“I can’t completely argue that,” he starts remorsefully, his eyes downcast in some indirect feeling of shame, “since I don’t know my older self very well.” His eyes are blank for a moment as he frowns. “You still don’t believe me.”

“Grr!” Phi is fuming at his invasion of privacy. Diana initially is confused by her behavior, but Sigma understands what is going on.

He continues speaking anyway. “You’re worried that even if I am not the other Delta, I’ll still carry out his mission of leading the Myrmidons and releasing Radical-6.” 

She grits her teeth. “Get out of my mind, you bastard!” she hisses back scathingly. 

“I won’t, Phi. Not until you listen to me, Phi!” he insists, taking half of a step toward her. “I can't purify anyone’s soul, even if I make my own army of Myrmidons! You know what happened to Myrmidon Model D-10 — he was an idiot, which was really just the intentional defunct manufacturing on the older me’s part. I don’t think he had a specific purpose for the Myrmidons, anyway, other than spreading Radical-6, creating fear and motivation for Dad to create the AB Game and have his and your consciousnesses jump back in time for the Decision Game!” 

“Ugh!” She racks her brain for another point to argue. “What . . . what about the Myrmidons that are currently active and the future clones to come?” she interrogates desperately, feeling herself beginning to lose a battle in which she does not want to concede defeat. She knows she has been repeating herself needlessly so many times to argue with him, but she does _not_ want to accept this man as her brother.

His lips twist into a grimace. “The Myrmidons are dead, Phi.” 

“What?!” Sigma exclaims in surprise. 

“How!?” 

“He killed them.” 

Diana lets out a gasp. “How . . . how do you know?”

“Three months ago, I found Free the Soul’s headquarters and found his instructions to them . . .” He scowls at the memory of the older Delta’s words on that notes. “I checked the incinerator room and it is full of ashes.” 

“Would that be mass suicide . . . or genocide?” 

Delta shakes his head sadly. “I don’t know myself.” 

A moment goes by in silence. Diana looks thoughtful, Sigma, too, is lost in thought, but Phi’s frowning. 

A suddenly crestfallen Delta breaks the silence. “I hear it in your thoughts. I understand that you still might hate me, and do not want to be around me. Maybe I came at a wrong time.” He looks at Diana and nods at belly. “Or maybe at a good time.” He smiles sadly. “I won’t ruin your peace. If you deem me worthy, come and find me — I won’t bother you anymore, nor ask you to believe me.” 

Phi, who should feel relieved by his decision to leave them alone, suddenly feels remorseful. She’s lost in thought for a few moments until she comes to a decision. She will ask him one more question, which may or may not confirm his claims, but when she looks up to ask him, he’s gone. 

In fact, so are Sigma and Diana. She turns around to see them standing outside quietly by themselves, and quickly jogs to them. 

“What did you tell him?” she demands, slightly panting. 

Sigma, who looks completely solemn, answers, “I gave him my phone number.”

She groans, slapping a palm to her forehead in exasperation. “Sigma, do you think he’s going to know how to operate a cell phone!? He’s from the 1920’s!”

“There are pay-phones! He can call from them,” he retorts back insistently, though part of him fears that Delta will not call him. 

Diana frowns as she sniffles. “He can call us, but we can’t contact him.”

“So, then, what? Now what do we do?” Phi questions.

Sigma grabs his smartphone off of the couch and begins tapping on the screen. “First, we call the one person who can most likely determine if he was lying to us or not.”

.

Before he found himself behind the gun in Carlos’s hands, Delta told the other participants of the Decision Game that he had created a timeline — this timeline — with no causalities; but he hadn’t counted the members of Free the Soul and the first-generation Myrmidons. He had them well quarantined, with specific instructions on how to release, but also contain — with the use of the HQ’s incinerator — the Radical-6 virus.

They did, as their cult name suggests, _free their souls_.

.

Sophia’s shoulders slump. “I wish you had called me sooner. If he really is who claims to be, I wanted to meet him and talk to him.” 

“I’m sorry,” Phi says simply, with her back turned away from Sophia, on the other side of Sigma and Diana’s living room. “But I didn’t want to take a risk, in case he was under the guise of a ‘different’ Delta.” 

“But, Phi,” Sophia pleads. “It might have not been a guise! If he is another Delta, it all makes sense! What I saw that day . . . when he threw himself in front of that train and almost died. And his behavior that night in the facility — it reminded me of a much younger Delta.” 

“I know, I know!” Phi snaps, as she turns her body to face her Gran. “I know there’s a chance that he could be a younger Delta; but Diana’s pregnant, and I didn’t want him to get close, and then take advantage of that fact or use it against us, somehow. After all, the babies might be SHIFTers.” 

“Phi,” Sophia says calmly. “I don’t think he’ll do anything like that . . . if you are worried, however, we won’t let him anywhere near her. But it’s imperative that we try to find him.”

“Where are we going to — ” Phi’s question is interrupted by Diana’s quiet gasp. She turns around to see that she has her hands flying to her stomach.

In one fluid, quick motion, Sigma, with widened, but excited eyes, whips his head towards Diana, springs out of his seat, and dashes to her side, kneeling on the floor as his hands cover hers — all thoughts of Delta are cleared from his mind. “Are they moving?! Can I feel them?!” he asks eagerly, his eyes shining in delight. Diana had called him a few days ago when she first felt movement, and found it totally unfair that he was not there to experience it — Sean was disappointed, too, since he had to leave just before Diana felt the babies’ movement. 

She smiles widely, nodding. She takes his hand and places it on the underside of her round belly. 

“Kyle and Luna,” he murmurs to himself in awe.

Sophia grins as she places a hand on Diana’s shoulder and looks at her stomach in wonder — she has never had the experience of pregnancy, since the only child she has ever had is Phi, who was transported twice, after Diana gave birth to her. Phi, feeling slightly left out, walks over to them. Upon reaching Diana, she slowly, hesitantly places a palm on her stomach and gives her a small smile. All the while, Sigma is babbling greeting to Diana’s stomach, which amuses Phi entirely. 

And then, she feels movement beneath her hand. “Ah.” She feels her mouth slowly drop open. And then, there’s another movement. She quickly retracts her palm and wrinkles her nose. “As sweet as this is . . . it also looks gross — I don’t know how you’re not weirded-out by the feeling, Diana.” Phi loves babies, and was thinking about wanting children for a long while — as she had told Sigma during the AB Game back in Rhizome-9 — but she’s not quite sure if she is mentally capable of handling pregnancy. Maybe, the only children she needs in her life are her brother and sister.

Diana lets out a laugh, but now Phi is distracted by the thought of the babies. Her future twin, baby siblings.

“So, you decided on Luna and Kyle for names, after all.”

Sigma doesn’t look away from where his hand is still splayed across Diana’s abdomen, but nods and beams. “Yes, we did.” Diana smiles, too, as she strokes Sigma’s hair lovingly — it causes Phi to fight back the urge to tell them to get a room or something, because sometimes, their PDA, no matter how slight it is, can be too much for her.

“Hmm . . .” 

Sigma looks up, his smiling fading. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, I’m . . . I’m not exactly against your choice of names; but I am against the reason for your choice of names."

Sigma’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “We’ve decided to name them Kyle and Luna, after my son and GAULEM daughter-figure. You know already, Phi.”

Phi raises an eyebrow knowingly. “But naming the babies after them how?” 

“What do you mean how? I’m naming them after the children I had to leave behind.”

She reluctantly takes her palm off of Diana’s stomach to cross her arms over her chest. “Sigma, you’re doing it again,” she accuses, her eyes narrowing at him.

“Doing what again?” He frowns, lifting himself off the floor so that he is standing in front of Phi. Diana, too, in concern, stands up from the couch.

“The same thing you did with Sean.” She breathes in deeply. “Your want to have Sean stay with you was so that you could essentially fill the void of Kyle. You’re doing the same thing here with your children,” Phi argues angrily, placing her hands on her hips. “Name them Kyle and Luna, but don’t do so to fill their absence — do it to honor them.” 

Sigma sighs, but then smiles sadly. “Phi, I appreciate your concern, but I learned my mistake with Sean and Kyle from Sean six months ago, before he came with us. So, don’t worry.” He places a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, and gives it a soft squeeze. “I promise you that this is not my way of trying to replace Kyle and Luna.”

With a grave face, she threatens, “It better not be, or else I’ll kick your ass for doing that to my brother and sister.” 

.

He wanders aimlessly through the streets, left with nothing but the crumpled up piece of paper his father gave him — he is saddened that they didn’t ask for his contact information, even if he has no idea of to work the complicated communication devices of this time period. He was told to appear to his family after Sean left — but before he helped Mira escape prison — which they probably know about by now. The notebook — now burned to crisp, but its contents still etched into his memory — had said that Sigma, Diana, and Phi would accept him. Delta can’t believe anything anymore, though, especially not his older self, since the notebook _lied_.

Granted, everything else he said was true, the most integral part — which had convinced Delta to transport in the first place — was a lie. His family still won’t accept him, because of a crime he didn’t commit. 

That thought inflames the rage he feels towards the other Delta.

He wants to embrace and talk with his parents, and tease and argue with this more liberated, modern Phi. But really, he just wants nothing more than to stay with his family, but he _can’t,_ because life is simply unfair — though the Delta who remained in 1925 (and created the timeline where 6 billion people died of Radical-6) essentially had done everything to ensure there was a future where the world would be saved and his other self could have a chance to live happily with his biological family, it has caused Sigma, Diana, and Phi to harbor feelings of resentment and hesitance for the old Delta, and, thereby, the young Delta who transported. It was unjust to the young Delta, of course, since his family’s hatred for him stems from the actions of another person, even if it is Delta’s other-self; young Delta is not at fault, and yet, he doesn’t get the happy ending he deserves and that the other Delta worked for — the only reason why he can’t completely resent the other Delta.

“Please, please,” a soft voice murmurs behind Delta, snapping him out of his thoughts, “I know that the interview could have gone better, but let me get the internship . . . Dad is against it, but please, please, I need it.”

.

 _“The one who rides the wind of change” — with her, you will find the deranged._  

Diana, hunched over the desk in her seat, stares back at the letters that have been taunting her for the past six months. Has she finally done it? Is this really the message a future Delta was trying to send? 

Well, it was definitely more coherent than, _Fine wrong-headed, white-hot chosen — red-handedly win “wifelier” thought._ This was the farthest Phi had gotten in trying to solve the anagram — which was a mystery to her and Akane, the ones who were enthusiastically prideful in their fast-anagram solving skills. 

“Fuck Delta for his love of anagrams, and fuck Lord Gordain Dashiell for sparking it with his ‘Free the Soul of Y!’” she had growled to Diana and Sigma one night angrily, as the sound of Akane sighing from Japan echoed over video chat. 

 _The one who rides the wind of change? Who could that possibly be?_ Diana doesn’t have an answer to the questions in her mind . . . but, maybe, the others might.

 _The wind of change . . . wind of change . . . change . . ._ Something tugs at the back of her mind — something from one of her required math classes in college . . . _Ah! It’s Delta!_

“Sigma . . . Phi!” she calls out. “Please, come here quickly!”

. 

_Is . . . is she praying?_

If Delta believed in God like Left and their adoptive mother did, he would pray, too. He would pray for his parents and Phi to accept him, and for the whole mess that the other Delta left him in to vanish. 

He turns around to face the mysterious voice, suddenly intrigued by her prayer.

“Excuse me, Miss, I was wo — ” He breaks off his words as he sees the woman in front of him.

Her eyes are a stunning emerald green that enraptures Delta. When he can finally tear away from her alluring irises, his eyes go to her hair — dark, medium-length hair, that, for some inexplicable reason, he feels the need to touch, to see if it’s as silky as it looks. 

His breath hitches when she raises a slim eyebrow, tilts her head and gives him a sly smile. “Yes?” She stares into his eyes as well, though it might be because she is intrigued by the unnaturally natural color of his irises. “Are those contacts, by the way? They look nice.”

“Ah, um.” Delta scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “Thank you, but they’re my actual eye color. And, ah, I couldn’t help but notice you praying just now.” Stumbling and hesitating are not becoming of him. “Are you religious?” 

“Oh, that’s pretty neat . . . and yeah, I was praying.” She flushes delicately, her cheeks the color of ripening cherries. “I’m not _that_ religious — and I just pray when the need comes — but my parents are the complete opposite.” She tucks a curl of hair behind her ear. “They're the one the religious ones.” 

Delta tips his head to the right as he smiles. “Is that so? Forgive me if I have been intrusive . . . I have been raised to believe in the power of science, so hearing the viewpoints of those who don’t think like me is always refreshing and intriguing, Miss . . .”

“Oh, my name is Natasha,” she replies timidly, outstretching a hand towards him. He shoves the scrap of paper Sigma gave him into his pocket, before extended the same hand out to shake hers. Her grip on his hand is firm, but not uncomfortable. In fact, Delta can’t notice how soft her skin is. “And, no, don’t worry! You’re not being intrusive at all!” she insists kindly, giving him a gentle smile. 

 _Natasha_. Her name is as intriguing as her. Delta tries to mentally dissect its meaning in the different languages he can think of. In one language that he can’t particular recall, her name’s meaning has to do with the moon, like his mother’s name; in Greek, it translates to, “resurrection”; in Russian, its meaning relates to a child born on Christmas; in another language he doesn’t remember, it means, “strong and powerful.” 

He doesn’t know which is the meaning her family had in mind when they named her, but he’d like to learn about it, and much more about her. 

“I am Delta. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Natasha.”

_Fin._

 

 

 

_**memores acti prudentes futuri** — "mindful of what has been done, aware of what will be"  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. 
> 
> First things first, to simplify what happened to Delta: 
> 
> Before Carlos shoots Delta, he transports back to 1925, writes a bunch of instructions for the young Delta (who is currently standing in front of Carlos and the gun, scared out of his mind), jumps in front of a train to SHIFT back, gets shot by Carlos and dies. Little innocent Delta, reading his instructions, transports, more than happy to get a chance to meet his family: the version of innocent Delta, however, that stays behind, essentially grows to become an asshole, AKA, the asshole we know as old Delta (Brother), who goes on to make the Decision Game and develop FTS. If the Decision Game’s purpose is served, this old Delta will throw the gun into Carlos’s hands, and the process will start over once more — it’s all loop of sorts, if you think of it like Junpei saving Akane, who then goes onto to create the Second Nonary Game so he can save little Akane, and the cycle continues.
> 
> For the little, innocent bby Delta who transported to January 1st, 2029, depending on the timeline, either gets off the hook, since his family won the Decision Game, and gets to find them, OR works with old, asshole Delta to release Radical-6 in FTS, taking his place as Brother when the old bastard dies, which leads up to the VLR timeline or another similar timeline — because, honestly, I refuse to believe he lived up to 150+ years . . . 120 something maybe, as he is in ZTD, if we consider he has some sort of disease akin to Alexandria’s Genesis. Anyway, so there you have it! 
> 
> Secondly, the anagram: The one who rides the wind of change - if Delta is "the wind of change" (get it, Delta is the sign for change in math, haha? ~~I need to stop~~ ), I'm sure you can guess who that might be, now that you've read the last few paragraphs of the story. So, yeah, with her, you will find the deranged. ~~I wish I had the ability to reveal things without making it so painfully obvious — as you saw in the last few paragraphs, it is a serious problem~~ But yeah, I’m sorry, Delta . . . but life is still simply unfair. 
> 
> I left this slightly ending open-ended for you to determine the identity of the religious fanatic. I, too, have my own interpretation, but it's not fully developed not well-thought out, or else, this story probably wouldn't have ended at just 18 chapters. 
> 
> I don’t know if you’re happy with how things turned out, but I’m satisfied with myself. When I starting writing this in July, I didn’t even think it would a story I’d be able to finish! I’m so happy that I did end up finishing it, but at the same time, I’m so sad that it mostly over. :’( Thank you for everyone who has given this story a chance, read, left kudos, and/or left comments!! I’m so grateful and happy at how well my ~~stupid and probably holey~~ ideas and headcanons were received by you all! Seriously, thank you all! I love you all so much, and if I could, I would squeeze you all into a virtual hug.
> 
> I can’t believe this marks the end of the main story!! Next, though, I have an “Outtakes” chapter of sorts, because I really don’t want to let this fic go, ~~and I really wanted the digital root of the number of chapters to be 9~~ which I hope you will enjoy reading! 
> 
> See you all next week! :)


	18. Outtakes: Ab Intra — From Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you get a glimpse at excerpts that never made it into the actual story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warn you now: these won’t be like traditional outtakes you’re probably used to seeing at all. They will either be very long, or very short - it will all look very cluttered, but I do my best to make it all look as neat as possible with some extra spacing. They also will have lots of side notes here and there, before or after some of the outtakes, because I feel that if I don’t supply you with certain pieces of information with each piece, you will be left a little confused ~~and also because I can’t seem to shut up, it seems~~ It might get a little confusing because I jump around with some of the outtakes, but they're all in chronological order, I promise!

**All right, let’s start off with some random side notes about things that never made it into the story:**

\- I was going to make sator squares — and by extension, palindromes and anagrams — a core part of the story, but then I realized how ridiculously hard it was, so then I just said, “Fuck it,” and kept just the aspect of an anagram instead ~~but even that was painstakingly difficult and long and tedious~~

\- Sharp eyes will notice that Gab is not present for half of the story — where did he go? I was going to make it a big thing where Carlos is trying to find a neighbor who can watch Gab as he leaves for Flagstaff with the others. The neighbor was going to be a very nosy one, who would question Carlos on where and when he got the dog, ask too many questions on Maria’s recovery, wonder if she’s going mad since she thinks she has seen him in two places at one (yup, you guessed it — Carlos 2.0 makes a special guest appearance) and contemplate if Carlos was in a poly relationship with the two people he brought home — Junpei and Akane — with him for the three days. Clearly, as you can tell now, I scrapped this idea.  

\- I originally wanted to name Diana and Sigma’s baby girl, Artemis, but I also wanted it to be Luna, in spite of it basically naming her Luna 2.0 in my head, but Luna Artemis or Artemis Luna would have sounded too moon-y, or something.

\- I wanted to write a scene with Sigma’s reaction to Phi’s new cat, but I suck at cat puns too much! I also wanted to include his revenge of sorts, where he would adopt a bunny and name him Lagomorph, to take revenge on her (since, if you recall, the _litter_ pun tic seems to run in the family, and Phi makes some very _bunny_ puns in VLR,  ~~which all lead me to believe that Delta likes to _slink_ of and _cone_ up with snail puns in his free time~~ ).

\- In the earlier chapters, I wanted to make it a topic of debate between the characters if Alexandria’s Genesis was inspired by something real that Delta has (for his pale skin, purple eyes, and his long lifespan), or if he’s just albino, or something. Clearly, this did not make the cut, either.

 

* * *

 

 **And, now, onto the actual parts I had to cut out of the story and paste to the very end of my MS Word document!**

**Let’s start with the parts I wanted to include in flashbacks.**

 

* * *

 

“It’s a beautiful necklace.”

Diana’s finger traces down the thin, delicate cage that holds the small blue bird, feeling a strange, undeniable pull towards the necklace that her eyes immediately found after walking into the antique store. 

The woman behind the counter crosses her arms over her chest and grins. “That lovely birdcage is a piece from the 1920’s, I believe — it originally had no chain, but one was added on later in the 1950’s. It’s a bit pricy, but it’s because if you twist the top of the cage, you’ll find that the cage functions as a music box, too.” 

She tilts her head, and she can just feel her eyes lighting up in delight. “A music box?” she exclaims. “Wow, that’s so . . .” 

“Charming?” the woman supplies. 

Diana looks up and nods at her. “I was going to say adorable, but I think charming describes it better,” she agrees. She looks at the necklace and then turns back to the cashier. “May I . . . may I try it on?” she asks hesitantly, as her fingers play with the top of the cage nervously — just a twitch of her finger and the music would play . . . 

“Yes, but, please, be very careful — it is very delicate.” 

Diana nods. “Of course.” She smiles and unclasps the necklace open, a strange feeling of a familiarity settling over her as she feels the cage nestle below her collarbone and involuntarily moves her hand up to twist the top of the cage and wind the music box inside of the pendant. 

**I had placed half of a hint regarding the caged bird necklace in Chapter… 10, I believe? It was the chapter with the flashback of 1904 Delta and Phi. If you recall, it is mentioned in the passing that Delta has to take it to a specific pawn shop near the research center where Left’s father worked. Anyway, this is the other half of said hint.**

**~~Is this a strange time to admit that I have a near similar necklace to Diana’s, except the bird is white and, unfortunately, it does not function as a music box? Because I will admit that I went out and sought one after playing VLR.~~ **

 

* * *

 

“Junpei!” the man Junpei knows as Seven comes bursting into the office, startling him out of his case reading. “I’ve just received news that Akane Kurashiki will be participating in the Mars Mission Stimulation in Nevada, in the U.S.!”

 

* * *

 

Aoi knows the pain of losing a sibling, so when he sees the man suffering from Clover’s sudden disappearance before such an important mission, he promises to intervene and give Snake — _Light_ — a hint that his sister is still alive and well.

 

* * *

 

Doctor Klim's first order of business after his consciousness is sent to his 22 year old self's body? Get a haircut and change out of these damn clothes.  

Phi, too, seems to have a similar idea, as, a few hours after waking up to this timeline, she appears to him and Akane in a new outfit.

 

* * *

 

**Reasons why there was not a lot of focus on C-Team in the main story, unless you count Carlos with the whole Clover/Aoi/Light triangle: (1) we already know where they stand in the Post-Payoff Files — they’re probably the team with the most complete ending — and (2) anything I typed with Junpei/Akane ended up in an argument or fallout (because we all know of Akane’s cunningness beneath her sweet, proper façade), so, the best I could seem to do was pre-Decision Game stuff.**

She walks into the building, Sigma and Phi following closely behind her. When an attendant happily offers to lead them to the meeting hall, she only responds with a curt nod, while Sigma and Phi thank him. 

As they walk into the large hall, however, her heart starts sinking to the bottom of her chest. She doesn’t understand why, but, at first, she thinks it has something to do with someone releasing Radical-6, or Free the Soul. Not a moment later, though, she feels some sort of pull to the morphogenetic field, so strong that she hasn’t felt it since her time with Junpei in Building Q.

With every step — which become smaller and smaller — she takes, his familiar profile comes more into view. His back is to her, but she falters in her steps and stops, her arms coming to hug herself — she doesn’t need to see his face to recognize him.

_No, no, no, no . . ._

“Junpei,” Akane whispers.

As if he can hear her from across the room, he looks up, his dark, resentful eyes piercing hers. The hatred and pain in his brown irises makes her shudder with guilt, and suddenly, her throat tightens, and she has to fight back the urge to cry.

.

She has folded herself up into a ball in the corner of the room, her body shaking as she sobs. “No . . .” She holds her head in her hands as she cries. “He . . . he can’t be here!”

Junpei shouldn’t be spying on her like this, and he should just make his presence known, but if he does, he knows that he’ll immediately rush over to comfort her — and, at the moment, he’s not sure if he should do that.

Not a few moments later, Sigma enters the gym area and, somehow unsurprised by her behavior, comes quietly to her side.

Ah, fuck, it’s that Sigma _Klim_. Why does he have to come in now? God, Junpei hates that insufferable prick so much. He isn’t exactly sure what he hates about him; maybe, it’s because he and that other girl, Phi, - though, he does not care when she does it — call him by his last name, which he absolutely _loathes_ , or it might have to do with the fact that he can be around Akane with such ease. Junpei is jealous that Sigma gets to be so close to her and he doesn’t; he is jealous that Sigma probably knows Akane better than him; he is jealous that Sigma can move to comfort her while he just stands there and forces himself to watch her cry. 

He might just be a _tad_ bit jealous of Sigma, in general.

“Hey,” Sigma says quietly, as he crouches down to her and grasps her hand with his fingers, squeezing gently. “Don’t be so upset. I know this is hard for you to see him here like this — and you have every right to be upset, Akane — but you can’t let it affect you as strongly as it is now.” 

She looks up at his with red, teary eyes. “D-Did you know he would be here, Sigma?” she chokes out.

He shakes his head. “I knew that he was involved with the project, but I didn’t know he was a participant of the experiment.” 

She opens her mouth to speak, as if she is about to argue with him, but prompts closes it and moves to quickly swipe away from stray cheeks. “Nona would have told me if she saw his name on the list, which means they had to have added him after she added us to the roster,” she notes, her voice croaky and hoarse.

Sigma nods, and places his free hand on her shoulder and rubs soothingly. “Yes, that might have been the case, but he won’t get infected, Akane, I swear to you. He is alive and healthy in the future with Radical-6.”

 _Infected? Future? Radical six? What the hell is going on here?_ Junpei wonders.

She sniffs and shakes her head. “No, that’s not my concern. I know that he will survive the outbreak . . . but, Dr. Klim, I have a confession to make.” She looks away and bites her lip nervously for a moment before continuing. “Nona, Crash Keys’ hacker, was able to break into their database so quickly — too easily.” Her teary eyes shift to Sigma’s. “I think this is some kind of trap,” she admits. “And, now, he’s caught in it, too.” 

 _Wait, what? Nona, Lotus’s daughter? A trap?!_ Junpei panics internally. _What the fuck is she going about?!_  

If this all really is a trap, Akane has, unintentionally, led him into it. Junpei’s worry begins to dispel as he loses himself in thought. 

It would be so easy to make her feel shitty about it all, actually — she being the reason why he’s here. If it were anyone else, he’d do it in a heartbeat — but this is Akane, the woman he loved — loves — and has gone mad in trying to track down, so he can’t bring himself to do it. He is bound to her, not only by the morphogenetic field, but also by his insuppressible love for her; if he wants to think about it in a selfish way, though, if he hurts her, he will also be hurting himself.

But now is not the time for him to be losing strength. After all, Junpei has just picked himself off the ground from his lowest point and has started to feel hopeful for the first time in the past year. Receiving the news of Akane’s participation in this experiment from Seven was the push Junpei needed to get himself back on track— granted, he is still at a low point, but he hopes to bring himself back up again, and gather the wits to speak to Akane.

He has made it to this point, but even though he is so close, he is still so far . . . 

Suppressing a frustrated groan, Junpei shoves a hand through his hair and angrily stalks his way out of the gym. 

Sigma’s head looks up when he hears the sound of the door closing. _Was somebody else just in here?_ He turns to Akane for confirmation, but if she heard the door shut, she doesn’t show any indication of it; she’s still crumbled up in her ball of despair, crying, sniffling and trying to wipe her tears away. He is distracted by her tears and, instead of asking her about the door, he tries to console her once more. 

He has never seen Akane Kurashiki like this — not in his timeline, and not in this. She has always put up a strong front, with no chink in her armor — not when her brother killed himself, succumbing to Radical-6, and not when she spoke of Junpei on Rhizome-9.

It makes Sigma wonder what is going to happen in the next few days that will cause her to put up such guarding walls.

**In 999, I LOVED Junpei/Akane so much, even if I realized by the end that Akane was so manipulative and cunning and there was no telling how close June (the persona she put up for the game) was to the actual Akane. I just loved it so much. I still do, but, as much as I love Akane, I hate her just a tad more, and that’s what has caused my ship to sink a little, so to speak. I could go into all of the reasons why I love-hate Akane, but that would take a long while. You could probably guess a few off the top of your head.**

.

After Akane calms down and leaves the gym area to freshen up, Sigma steps onto the treadmill — the whole reason why he entered the gym in the first place. He needs to exhaust himself out of his feelings, needs to distract himself from Diana’s presence. And so, he runs and runs, his legs pushing him as hard as they can.

He doesn’t know how long he is on the treadmill for, but at one point, suddenly, a hand, with a water bottle in its grasp, stretches out in front of him. 

His pace slackens, his run slowing to a walk. He recognizes the nimble fingers and pale skin immediately, but looks up to see Diana’s smiling face.

“You’re really going all out.”

He quickly looks away as he regains his fast pace. “Sorry, but I’ll pass,” he responds flatly. He tries to keep his face blank as he looks straight ahead, but inside, he feels his heart breaking. 

 

* * *

 

When she comes to, Junpei and Carlos lie on the floor next to her. She would have thought that they are knocked out, and that this is the next interval they must now awaken for, but their faces are tinted a pale blue, and their bodies are completely still. 

Suddenly frightened, Akane, who is kneeling on the floor, hovering over Junpei’s body, grabs his wrist and checks for his pulse.

Nothing.

Still determined, she places a finger underneath his nostrils to check for his breathing, but she feels no breath tickling her skin. She quickly retracts her shaking hand and whips her head to look at Carlos, but in the process, she catches sight of the open lockers behind him.

And that is when she remembers.

Her hands fly to her face with a gasp, and sure enough, she feels the cool plastic of the respiration device on her face. 

There was only one gas mask, which Carlos and Junpei gave to her. 

“Carlos . . . Jumpy,” she weeps, still kneeling by their corpses, with her hands folded near her chest. She stays by their bodies for a few moments, before saying a silent prayer for their souls and pushes herself off the floor.

With a deadened despair settling in the pit of her stomach, Akane mindlessly walks out of the Control Room.

“ _Now announcing the current casualties . . .”_ The automated words pierce through her ears a few minutes later, and it makes her cringe. She’s on the verge of tears, but manages to take note of the passwords. She does let out a whimper, however, when she hears the announcement of Junpei’s death. 

She slowly walks to the X-Door, and enters the passwords, but when she enters in the last one she memorized, her finger hovers over the button to confirm the word she has just typed. 

She has typed in all of the X-passes announced, but that means there were only six were announced. Eric, Mira, and Q have all died, which means that Q-Team was executed in the vote at 13:30, Carlos and Junpei . . . their passwords were given out, and it was Phi whose password was most likely ‘ _Jupiter_ ,’ from what Akane had gathered. Two names were not called out besides Akane’s. 

Does that mean that Sigma and Diana . . . ? 

She glances at her bracelet. She only has a few minutes left before she is knocked out cold again. 

Should she press the button and leave? Should she try to find Gab and send them a message?

Akane looks once more at the screen, particularly focusing on what she knew, without a doubt, was Junpei’s X-Pass — ‘ _Jump.’_ She thinks of his sacrifice, of how he asked Carlos to let her take the mask. _Oh, Jumpy._ She wants to cry and scream, but she won’t let Zero, who must be watching her somewhere, see her so vulnerable and weak. 

With a newfound determination, she presses the button. There is a simultaneous odd sense of relief, but also emptiness that runs through her as she steps into the doorway. 

She can’t go of this opportunity Junpei sacrificed his life for — Aoi and the world need her right now to save them from getting infected with and dying from Radical-6. 

She steps into the small lift that is beyond the doors, and the dark red light that gleams above her feels almost natural. It’s only been a few seconds, but the doors are already starting to close. The 30 seconds are crashing down sooner than she thought.

She turns around and takes the last few moments of her line of sight for the doorway, to give the lounge a last, long look. 

She’ll just have to come back for Sigma and Diana later. 

  

* * *

 

**This marks the end of outtakes from the flashbacks, and now, we go into outtakes pulled from the main story.**

 

* * *

  

She somehow knows that Sigma is a receiver.  

She can't tell how she knows, but she just does. Maybe it is down thing her older self had transmitted to her — she doesn't know exactly.  

What she does know, however, is that she can use this to her advantage.  

With a wicked grin, she sends Sigma the thoughts of her anguish of never kissing Junpei, knowing that it will cause him to urge them to kiss. 

 

* * *

  

Sigma frowns as Akane waves them off from Carlos's front porch.  

She had made it a point to tell them that Maria would need all of the experts she could get, but now, she's saying that the large numbers of espers would overwhelm her? 

Sigma's calling bullshit on this whole thing. He's known Akane Kurashiki for years. He knows the way she thinks, how manipulative and cunning and sneaky she can be.

And that's why he knows that she has an ulterior motive for sending them away. 

 

* * *

  

Aoi groans as Akane leads him towards the parking lot, the wind whipping her hair around unpleasantly — his headband snapped during the car ride and he needs to buy another one soon. “Why did you drag me out here, Akane? I’m fucking starving, and my burger is waiting for me inside!” 

“Aoi,” she starts off softly, that Aoi almost can’t hear her. “I heard an interesting piece of news during the Decision Game. Our parents . . . they didn’t die in an accident.”

“What?! Who told you that bullshit?”

“Aoi.” Her voice is firm and cold, as it usually is when she forces him to dance to her tunes. 

He closes his eyes and swallows. “Akane, it’s not — ” 

“No!” she cries, her voice roaring over the sounds of the cars rushing down the highway beside them. “No more lies — I want the truth!” Her hands are clenched into fists at her sides, and she grits her teeth. On the outside, she may look completely furious — and, oh, she is — but she feels her strength crumbling on the inside. “Enough of the lies . . . I deserve to know to hear the truth from you. I should have first heard it from _you_ , not from the founder of Free the Soul!” she seethes. 

Aoi crosses his arms over his chest and turns his face away from Akane before speaking. “I should have said something before . . . but, yes, you’re right. They weren’t killed in an accident.” 

As her brother goes into the story that she already has heard from Delta, she suddenly craves Junpei’s presence; she needs him to hold her as she lets her cold, strong front collapse . . . but he’s inside the building of the Service Area, eating with Carlos, Clover, and Maria. 

“I’m sorry I hid this from you. Akane. I know I should have told you eventually, but . . . ” 

She doesn’t listen to his words — instead, she is suddenly lost in a frightening thought. 

Akane assumed that out of the two of them, she was the one who was always in control of things, and Aoi was in the dark — something she would only keep in him for his protection or for the success of her plans. 

But, really, all of this time, she has been the one who has been led into the dark, all by him.

 

* * *

  

“Agent Ennea!” Alice snaps, placing her hands on her hips as she towers over the young woman in her high, golden heels. “As your superior at the Special Office of Internal Security, I demand to know where I am and why!” 

Ennea crosses her arms over her chest and smirks. “As employee of Crash Keys, I’m afraid I’m unable to disclose that information, Miss Alice . . . I can, however, arrange for your return to headquarters. Would you like for me to do that?” She tilts her head and gives her superior a sickeningly saccharine smile, feeling a great sense of satisfaction at hearing Alice’s answering growl and insults.. She has always hated that cocky, standoffish bitch of a woman; she only has put up with her thus far for Nona’s sake, or else, she would have never agreed to work with SOIS. Thank god that Nona said yes to working with Crash Keys, or else Ennea would probably have gone mad from working under Alice, all of the time. Though, Ennea gets the feeling that, soon, she won’t have to worry about being Alice’s subordinate, anymore. 

Oh, well. Aoi and Akane want Ennea to work full-time, anyway, so she frankly can’t give much of a shit.

 

* * *

 

**This was a small thing that was supposed to go into Aoi’s Waking Up part of the epilogue, until I decided that he should be the one to oversleep.**

Last night, Aoi was insistent to have the room connecting to Junpei and Akane’s — hell, he didn’t want Junpei and Akane to share a room in the first place. Sure, he was grateful to Junpei for saving Akane’s life and always thinking about her wellbeing in the Decision Game, but Akane was his little sister, dammit.

 

* * *

 

 **I wanted to write something for Clover and Alice, but I’d imagine the road for that would be so long and angsty, and I didn’t have much time for that ~~and I also wanted to but could not write something for my babies Light and Aoi — they sound so good in the Zero Escape: The Nonary Games trailer I almost cried omg~~**  

 _One week after the Epilogue._

“What?!” Clover’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “A-Alice . . . ?”

Carlos nods intently. “How do you feel for her?” 

“Um, I don’t know . . . ?” Her words are full of uncertainty. “I’m only just trying to get over Aoi, Carlos. How do you expect me to jump to Alice so quickly?” 

“I don’t, Clover,” he assures.” I just want you to look through your feelings for Alice to see if you’ve ever felt something romantic for her, but suppressed it because of Aoi.” 

She groans. “Carlos, that’s a ridiculous thought.” 

“Is it now? You say that it is ridiculous, but I have yet to hear you actually deny anything,” he challenges back, raising an eyebrow at her. 

 

* * *

 

Sigma asked him if he wanted new clothing, but Sean doesn’t want him to go out of his way for him anymore. He only agreed to have some different outfits at hand when Diana, after knitting over 10 pairs of socks for the expected babies, expressed her desire to make him some clothes herself.

.

Green eyes, soft cheekbones, a rounded jawline . . . and straight, short dusty brown hair . (“ _I don’t think I want to deal with hair too much, Sigma”_ ).

The pieces of the puzzle are laid out in front of him, but imagining himself with all of these features . . . he can’t seem to form an image in his mind.

 

* * *

 

**This was supposed to go somewhere in the Post-Payoff, but it didn’t seem to fit in. Also, I suck at cat puns.**

_. . . But, anyway, many happy returns on your birthday, Sigma! We hope to see you soon!_

Below Akane’s graceful cursive, Junpei messily scrawled, _Happy birthday, Sigma! I hope you enjoy your present!_

Then, it was back to Akane’s handwriting.

 _Love,  
_ _Akane & Junpei_

Sigma groans as he looks to see the papers behind the airplane tickets. “You’ve _cat_ to be _kitten_ me!”

“What happened, Sigma?” Diana asks softly. 

He growls. “ _Cats_ the musical is on _Purr_ -oadway.” 

Diana doesn’t understand, but Phi barks a laugh. “Oh, so, you got to Junpei and Akane’s _purr_ -esent!”

“What!? Phi, you knew!?” he shouts in disbelief. 

“Wait, what?! Phi, what’s going on?” 

Phi snickers. “Diana, you and Sigma get to go to New York to watch a _Purr_ -oadway show.” 

 _P.S.: I’m sorry, Sigma. The gift was Junpei’s idea, not mine, I swear! But, at least, you’ll get an excuse to take Diana on an all-expenses paid trip to New York City! (I remember her once telling me that she’s never travelled farther than the West Coast, so this would be a good break for you and her, since you both have been working hard.) There are also train tickets in here to Lake Placid, if Diana wanted to go visit Sean, Eric, and Mira._  

**I just realy wanted to torture Sigma some more with the cat puns.**

 

* * *

 

 **This was also supposed to go somewhere in the Post-Payoff, but it didn’t seem to fit in, since it took the focus off D-Team.**

Sigma groans at the phone. “Why the fuck would he do that?” 

Phi’s ears perk up at his words, and she looks up from the files to stare at him. “What’s wrong? Who are you on the phone with?” 

“Akane,” he answers back gruffly, running a hand tensely through his hair. “Sean broke Mira out of prison, and now they’re on the run.”

. 

“How was your day, Phi?” Sophia asks, as she passes a napkin to Phi. 

Phi sighs, before she wipes the corner of her lips. “It was interesting, to say in the least. Sigma is going insane because Sean broke Mira out of prison.” 

“What?!” 

“Ugh, I don’t know. He called from a payphone and told Sigma something about having Mira pay for her sins.” 

Sophia’s eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, no,” she murmurs sadly. “I should have known.” 

Phi narrows her eyes. “What?” she probes.

“I told Sean about the whereabouts of the transporter.”

. 

Sean smiles — it’s so strange to see him express his emotions, but even more so to see him with a human _face_ — his light green eyes crinkly at the corners adorably.

“You both have to lay down in separate transporters. One machine can only carry one human.” 

“Hey, wait. What about you, Sean?” Eric asks, confused. 

He sheepishly scratches the back of his spiky, gelled hair — did Sigma teach him how to gel his hair? Suddenly, Mira is a little jealous. If Sigma and Diana and Phi have taught him all of this, what is left for her and Eric to teach him? “Oh, um, I’m not transporting with you.” 

“What!? No, Sean, come in mine — I can squeeze you in here!”

“Trust me, Eric. It won’t let us transport, then.”

“But, Sean — ” 

He shakes his head — Mira _still_ can’t believe that it’s not that awfully large, spherical helmet he’s shaking, but a small, human-like head. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll be here to stay with the Eric and Mira that don’t transport. You guys just focus on changing the past, okay?” He peers over the console on his toes, so that he can reach to press the button to start up the transporter. 

As the cover of her pod lowers, Mira takes one last look at Sean, studying his new facial features. 

He could have chosen to have jet-black hair like Sigma, but he chose hair to match Eric. And his eyes — those bright green eyes, they were the same as Mira’s natural eye color, not blue like Diana’s.

The Klims may all have taught him some things about living and lifestyle, but Sean was always her and Eric’s, and they would be the ones to ultimately teach him how to live. 

 

* * *

 

“Hello? Is anyone there?” she speaks into the phone once more. “Hello?” Diana is starting to get a little annoyed, but also anxious. She has been getting blank calls on the landline all morning. “Hello?” 

She is about to hang up the phone, but freezes as she hears heavy breathing on the other side. She doesn’t need the feeling of just _knowing_ from the morphogenetic field to realize who the caller is. 

“ . . . Delta?” she whispers hesitantly. “Is . . . is that you?” 

She hears a soft, “ _Mom_ . . .”

There are so many things she wants to ask to him — where is he now, what has he been doing for the past few days, what is his relation to the fanatic (though that, somehow, is at the last of the list of her endless questions) — but before she can open her mouth to speak, she hears the telltale click of Delta hanging up the phone.

 _Dammit!_ she cries out in her head mentally.

She goes to place the phone back into the receiver, but freezes and widens her eyes as a thought occurs to her.

Sigma only gave him his cell phone number, not the landline. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If my outtakes arrangement or side notes confused the hell out of you (which I totally wouldn't blame you for, because they were arranged in a confusing manner), please do let me know! 
> 
> But, yeah. That's that. This marks the official end of this fic. I can’t believe it, oh gosh! It’s all over. We made it to the end. What I started at the beginning of July finally has ended in the beginning of November, wow. This journey, of sorts, has been incredible, and I thank you all so much for reading, leaving kudos, commenting, but really just for giving this story a chance, and taking time out of your day for this little thing, and making each of my update days special. It really means the world to me! :')
> 
> Anyway, for now, I think I’ll take a short break from ZE fics, but rest assured, I may or may not have one or two more stories for our Decision Game participants up my sleeve — so stay tuned! ;)


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